Network World articles from November 2006

Network World archives from November 2006

Cingular Wireless simplifies access to Web-based appications; BlackBerry, other smart-phone users promised easy access to field service apps.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Byline: Denise Pappalardo Cingular Wireless is making field-service automation applications easier for users to access with a new service it announced today. Corrigo, which produces service-management software, developed a suite...

Symbol airs all-in-one wireless switch; Box handles wireless network technologies such as RFID, 802.11, sensors.
November 1, 2006... Byline: John Cox Symbol Technologies athis week is expected to unveil its latest wireless switch, a box intended to handle a range of emerging wireless technologies for the enterprise. The RFS7000 will let Symbol catch up with...

Lucent: Customers willing to pay extra for high-speed mobile services; VoIP, video driving demand, survey says.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Jim Duffy Businesses and consumers are willing to pay a premium for high-speed mobile data services such as VoIP, interactive video and video sharing, according to research conducted by Lucent. Lucent surveyed 900 U. S....

InfoWeapons unveils IPv6-ready DNS appliances; * InfoWeapons' SolidDNS appliances.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Carolyn Duffy Marsan Start-up InfoWeapons is selling what it claims are the first DNS appliances to support IPv4 and IPv6 running in dual-stack mode. IPv4 is the Internet's main communications protocol, while IPv6 is a...

Microsoft's IE 7 expected to drive foreign language domain names; Previous support for internationalized domain names by other browsers foiled by spoofing, phishing attacks.(internet explorer)
November 1, 2006... Byline: Carolyn Duffy Marsan Microsoft's latest release of Internet Explorer will drive demand for internationalized domain names (IDN), according to industry experts who are predicting a sharp increase in sales of foreign language...

NetIQ adds to Active Directory management tools.
November 1, 2006... Byline: John Fontana NetIQ released this week the next version of its Active Directory management tool with controls that let customers track changes and users and delegate tasks among administrators. Directory and Resource...

Time Warner closes Xspedius buy.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Byline: Jim Duffy Time Warner Telecom this week said it completed its acquisition of Xspedius Communications, which was announced July 27. Xspedius operates metro fiber networks in 43 markets in 18 states primarily in the southern...

Belgians want REP replaced with ACAP; * Belgians looking to replace the Robot Exclusion Protocol with the Automated Content Access Protocol.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Mark Gibbs When you have a de facto Internet standard that works well why would you want to replace it? Such is the case with the World Association of Newspapers, the European Publishers Council, the International Publishers...

Plantiga IDs by how you walk; Gartner launches identity management event; * Plus other news from Cryptolex and Oracle.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Dave Kearns My notes have been, once again, piling up so in this issue I'll offer some "short takes" on recent occurrences and announcements. Mobio, from Cryptolex is a new handheld authentication device that combines...

Microsoft puts up more roadblocks to Vista; * The path to Vista is not so smooth.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Dave Kearns Microsoft seems to be working overtime to find reasons why you don't want to move to Vista as a desktop operating system. I'd thought that we'd already covered the major issues, but now another one has arisen. ...

AirTight updates its WLAN planning software.(SpectraGuard Planner )(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Byline: John Cox AirTight Networks this week released the latest version of its wireless LAN planning application, with improvements that let the software more accurately model a wider array of radio frequency behaviors. ...

Allied Telesis bolsters 10G switch family; Wiring closet switches include built-in 10G ports for easier, less-expensive deployment.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Phil Hochmuth Allied Telesis this week unveiled a new series 10G Ethernet wring closet switches, promising customers high port density and fast uplink connections, but at a lower cost than its larger enterprise switch...

Capability Maturity Model Integration; * Process is good, if implemented realistically and allows for flexibility.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Dan Twing The Capability Maturity Model was not widely adopted by U.S. companies outside of government or military projects even 6 years ago. But CMM and now Capability Maturity Model Integration, or CMMi,ahas been a strategic...

Operations, IT departments on collision course; * The organizational impact of enterprise-wide compliance regulation.(information technology)
November 1, 2006... Byline: Joanie Wexler Stand-alone wireless sensor networks represent the latest data silo to begin merging with the corporate IT and enterprise network infrastructure. RFID networks and closed-circuit TV surveillance networks, for...

Webroot to ship spyware/antivirus combo for SMB market; Debate over Microsoft Vista's PatchGuard continues in industry.(small and medium business)
November 1, 2006... Byline: Ellen Messmer Webroot, which partnered with Sophos in order to combine its antivirus technology with Webroot's antispyware, says it has ready a consumer product for PCs and expects to have an antispyware/antivirus product by...

Fedora Core, Ubuntu debut distro updates; * New versions of the Fedora Core and Ubuntu Linux distirbutions.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Phil Hochmuth Editor's Note: We'd like to let you know that starting Nov. 6, this newsletter will be renamed Network World's Linux & Open Source Newsletter. The name change will better reflect the focus of this newsletter,...

Enterprise content now encompassing wikis, blogs, podcasts and more; * Content management must step up to new challenges.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Andi Mann In the course of my research into Enterprise Content Management (which you can help by filling out my survey and possibly win some fabulous prizes too), I am seeing some interesting new developments. Just like the...

EMC acquires data deduplication vendor Avamar.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Deni Connor EMC on Tuesday acquired Avamar Technologies for $165 million to bolster its data-protection portfolio. Long rumored, the acquisition puts EMC thick in the midst of the data-protection market. It complements EMC's...

FCC expected to classify BPL services; Is broadband over power line the same as DSL, cable?(United States. Federal Communications Commission)(broadband over power line )
November 1, 2006... Byline: Denise Pappalardo The FCC is expected to make a ruling on Friday that will classify broadband over power line (BPL) services. The United Power Line Council, a group of utility companies, vendors and service provider partners...

Allied Telesis says it offers 10G switches for less; * Wiring closet switches include built-in 10G ports for easier, less-expensive deployment.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Byline: Phil Hochmuth Allied Telesis this week unveiled a new series 10G Ethernet wring closet switches, promising customers high port density and fast uplink connections, but at a lower cost than its larger enterprise switch...

Premises-based VoIP system provides UCSF Medical Center with flexibility and lower cost; * Convergence and VoIP at UCSF Medical Center.(University of California, San Francisco Medical Center)
November 1, 2006... Byline: Steve Taylor,aLarry Hettick Editor's Note: We'd like to let you know that starting Nov. 6, this newsletter will be renamed Network World's Convergence & VoIP Newsletter. The name change will better reflect the focus of this...

Hosted Solutions snaps up Boston Datacenters.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Byline: Network World Staff Managed service provider Hosted Solutions recently announced that it is expanding into the New England area with the acquisition of Boston Datacenters, based in Charlestown, Mass. Hosted Solutions, with...

Outsourcing: Bangalore by any other name would be?Bengalooru.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Michael Cooney The multinational technology and offshoring hub of India is changing its name. Bangalore officials today said they would change the cities well-known name to Bengalooru, its original vernacular name, in an...

Nuke agency picks Nortel for digital court system; Contract to manage multimedia project worth $7.7 million.(Brief article)
November 1, 2006... Byline: Jim Duffy Nortel's Government Solutions subsidiary has been awarded a four-year, $7.7 million contract to operate and maintain the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's digital courtroom systems in Las Vegas and Rockville, Md....

Nortel aiming to simplify its exam and certification program; * A look at Nortel network exams.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Linda Leung If you were thinking of extending your vendor certifications to include Nortel and you're already a Cisco Certified Voice Professional, then you are halfway toward achieving Nortel's VoIP product certification...

Grid computing takes hold at UPS; Company runs mainframe applications on cheaper swath of x86 servers.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Mears For UPS, grid computing is not about how to get more horsepower for demanding workloads; it's about consolidating, streamlining and using technology to get an edge on the competition. "Using technology to...

Spam that delivers a pink slip; New trick lures worried employees to visit malicious site.
November 1, 2006... Byline: Cara Garretson Last week, a handful of employees at Dekalb Medical Center in Decatur, Ga., received e-mails saying they were being laid off. The subject line read "Urgent - employment issue," and the sender listed on the...

Certeon updates appliance with Microsoft 2007 application acceleration; WAN optimization vendors includes features to speed Microsoft Office and SharePoint applications.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Denise Dubie Certeon next week will announced updates to its WAN optimization technology designed to speed applications from Microsoft and ensure remote employees get LAN-like performance in branch offices. Certeon,...

Dear Gil: Analyst writes Check Point CEO; * An open letter to Check Point CEO Gil Shwed intended as a call to action.(Brief article)
November 2, 2006... Byline: Tim Greene One of the most read articles on Network World's Web site this week is an open letter to Check Point's founder Gil Shwed written by analyst Richard Stiennon. The letter suggests ways the company can refocus to...

Mailbag: Ban ping? Why not shut down the entire network? * Readers mull the social implications of providing network security.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Steve Taylor,aJim Metzler Last time, we delved into the reader responses to our ping and tracert discussions and described how one reader uses the protocols on their LAN and WAN. As you might expect, we also received quite a...

HP gears up for Vista and TotalCare; * Hardware requirements improve to support the coming OS.(operating systems (software))
November 2, 2006... Byline: James E. Gaskin Continuing with reports of my trip to Houston to see HP's Small and Medium Business teams, let's talk today about computers: new ones that are ready (almost) for Vista, and how much you're willing to pay per...

Raptor chases out Cisco in the LAN core at healthcare organization; Los Angeles nonprofit group swaps out Cisco Catalysts for stackable 10G Raptor boxes for greater speed, lower costs.(locan area network)
November 2, 2006... Byline: Phil Hochmuth Network technologists at L.A.Care Health Plan had several conflicting ideas for its new LAN backbone: boost core LAN bandwidth to 10Gbps; segment the network into multiple departments; keep the infrastructure a...

Cisco, Microsoft and Apple security issues; * Cisco, Microsoft and Apple security issues* Top 10 reported virus infections for the past week from Sophos* Hackers break into water system network, and other interesting reading.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Jason Meserve Today's bug patches and security alerts: Vulnerability found in Visual Studio 2005A vulnerability in Visual Studio 2005 could let an attacker execute code on a targeted Windows machine, Microsoft said...

Conflicts lead to tense times in security.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Joel Snyder I just returned from the Information Security Decisions conference, where I had many opportunities to compare notes with fellow security practitioners. Two big issues keep coming up in which conflicting interests...

Dan Swanson on IT auditing; * Online resources from Dan Swanson.
November 2, 2006... Byline: M. E. Kabay Dan Swanson has been working in internal audit for more than 24 years and provides an excellent free newsletter that some readers of this column will find valuable. His brief newsletter concentrates on IT...

Saving space with de-duplication; * The newest alternative for saving space.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Mike Karp With the steadily increasing amounts of data that reside on enterprise systems, it's little wonder that we look for any help we can getato tame the data beast. For years now, when moving old data off to tape, or...

Symantec ships Mobile AntiVirus 4.0.(Brief article)
November 2, 2006... Byline: Ellen Messmer Symantec has announced an updated version of its Mobile AntiVirus software to protect Windows-based smart phones and mobile handsets based on Windows Mobile 5.0 and the earlier Windows Mobile 2003. The...

EPA releases Energy Star specification for servers; * Saving energy in the data center.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Deni Connor A new version of the government's Energy Star specification that applies to server efficiency will go into effect next July. The Version 4.0 Tier 1 specification will replace the Version 3.0 Tier 2...

IBM delivers free management dashboard for virtual, physical resources; Big Blue portal tracks resources from VMware, Microsoft, Xen, System p and System i virtualization systems.(International Business Machines Corp.)
November 2, 2006... Byline: Denise Dubie IBM today is makingaavailable a free software download that the companyasays can help enterprise IT managers configure, administer and monitor virtual and physical resources across heterogeneous server...

"Friday Night Lights" beamed live to Iraq; West Texas high school to bring football to the troops via videoconference.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Jason Meserve Soldiers based at Camp Al Asad in Iraq will be getting a little taste of home beamed live to them on Friday when the Tigers of Snyder High School take on the Mighty Golden Tornadoes of neighboring Lamesa in a...

Sprint teams with Google to bring e-mail to mobile users; Google's Gmail is now available to Sprint wireless customers.(Brief article)
November 2, 2006... Byline: Denise Pappalardo Sprint Nextel announced Thursday it is making Google's Gmail application available to its wireless customers. Sprint is the first wireless service provider to make the popular Google mail application...

Citrix: Advocate for end-user application performance; * Citrix makes a case for application performance.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Denise Dubie Over the past month, Citrix has been making a real case for application performance. The company, which last week hosted its iForum conference in Orlando, announced it had upgraded several product sets aimed ...

XAML accelerates app development.(Extensible Application Markup Language )
November 2, 2006... Extensible Application Markup Language is the user interface markup language for the Windows Presentation Foundation, one of the pillars of the Microsoft .Net framework. The concept is similar to the combination of HTML and JavaScript used...

Finance firm finds answer for two-factor.
November 2, 2006... Byline: John Dix While most companies doing business on the Internet are interested in getting better at customer authentication, financial institutions don't have a choice: The federal government is requiring them to install stronger...

Of VPNs and peer-to-peer SIP: IETF chair speaks out.(Brian Carpenter)
November 2, 2006... Byline: Carolyn Duffy Marsan Some of the Internet's greatest technical minds will gather next week in San Diego to debate how best to plug security holes and design new services for the Internet. More than 1,200 network engineers are...

Average data breach costs companies $5 million.
November 2, 2006... Byline: John Fontana Companies spent nearly $5 million on average, and 30% more, this year than in 2005, to recover when corporate data was lost or stolen, according to a new study from the Poneman Institute. The Ponemon...

Oracle's shadow looms large over Novell once more; * Oracle to support Red Hat Linux - what does this mean for Novell?
November 2, 2006... Byline: Dave Kearns Not too long ago there was much speculation that Oracle might purchase Novell in order to acquire SuSE Linux. In a newsletter about this, I said that Oracle CEO Larry Ellison had decided that it makes little sense...

Storage grid? Storage cluster? . . . Do definitions matter; Experts disagree during sessions at Storage Networking World.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Deni Connor ORLANDO -- Grid storage and storage clusters -- are the terms interchangeable? They could be if you ask users and industry analysts who participated in several panels at Storage Networking World this week. ...

Comparing Google Web Toolkit with AJAX.(Asynchronous JavaScript and XML)(Brief article)
November 2, 2006... How does the Yahoo User Interface Library compare with the Google Web Toolkit for creating Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX) Web pages and applications? The Yahoo User Interface Library (YUI) is a collection of JavaScript...

D-Link sends Ethernet over power lines at 200Mbps; * D-Link's latest device.(Brief article)
November 2, 2006... Byline: Jeff Caruso D-Link last week shipped a kit for delivering Ethernet over electrical power lines at 200Mbps. No, this isn't Power over Ethernet - that's when you run electricity to devices via the cables you're already using to...

Former CA CEO Kumar gets 12 years of jail time; Sanjay Kumar is sentenced and also slapped with $8 million fine for fraud.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Denise Dubie Former CA CEO Sanjay Kumar this week was sentenced to 12 years in prison and fined $8 million after pleading guilty earlier this year to charges heaparticipated in accounting fraud at software maker CA, according...

A million-plus subscribers flock to big-carrier broadband in Q3; Higher-speed DSL, other advanced offerings boost fortunes of top U.S. carriers.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Jim Duffy AT&T, BellSouth, Qwest and Verizon collectively added more thanaa million broadband subscribers in the third quarter, outpacing the second quarter's growth. The big four U.S. carriers added 1.2 million subscribers...

Nov. 6, 2006 The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.(Brief article)
November 2, 2006... Past weeks GOOD: Wi-Fi doesn't stain your teeth either What would you rather give up - Starbucks for a year or your Wi-Fi? Nearly nine out of 10 Americans said they would give up their morning latte than be without Wi-Fi, according...

What will messaging look like in five years? * What the author thinks messaging will look like in five years.
November 2, 2006... Byline: Michael Osterman Here's what I think messaging will look like in five years: * Unified messaging will become the norm. Today, many users have multiple e-mail addresses, instant messaging (IM) handles (each of which uses its...

Nov. 6, 2006 Cartoon of the Week.
November 2, 2006... All cartoons Related story

Microsoft, Novell partner on historic Windows, Linux interoperability deal.
November 2, 2006... Byline: John Fontana Microsoft and Novell Thursday announced a wide ranging business and technology partnership designed to make it easier for companies to run, integrate and manage Linux and Windows in their environments while...

Recommind adds SharePoint integration to search engine.(Brief article)
November 2, 2006... Byline: John Fontana Search vendors Recommind plans to widen its reach across corporate data repositories by integrating its engine with the forthcoming upgrade of Microsoft's SharePoint technology. Microsoft plans to release...

Wi-Fi hot spots multiply around the world.(Brief article)
November 2, 2006... Byline: Jim Duffy The number of commercial Wi-Fi hot spots will grow by 47% worldwide to 143,700 in 2006, according to ABI Research. Almost three-quarters of these sites -- 74% -- are found in North America and Europe, but the Asia...

Fortify Software measures success of apps-testing black boxes; Tracer pinpoints flaws and counts the thoroughness of application testing.(Brief article)
November 2, 2006... Byline: Tim Greene Fortify Software has a new tool for figuring out how well Web applications have been tested for vulnerabilities with the idea of making the applications safer. Called Fortify Tracer, the product figures out what...

Palisade upgrades content monitoring appliance; Product now filters 150 network protocols.
November 3, 2006... Byline: Cara Garretson Appliance maker Palisade Systems this week announced an upgrade to its content monitoring product that now scans and blocks sensitive information carried by more than 150 network protocols. PacketSure 5.0,...

Cascade of problems cripples Boston University Web site.(Brief article)
November 3, 2006... Byline: John Cox Boston University grad students will try to register again this morning for the new year, a usually routine process that ground to a halt following a cascade of problems Tuesday morning that crashed BU's Web servers....

Microsoft-Novell pact: who wins . . . who loses; Microsoft, Novell partner on historic Windows, Linux interoperability deal.
November 3, 2006... Byline: John Fontana The business and technology partnership unveiled this week by Microsoft and Novell is a multi-dimensional union that reaches deep into the open source community, slaps at rivals of both vendors and could...

FCC lumps broadband over power lines with DSL, cable modem services; Loosening of regulations could give BPL a boost, supporters say.(United States. Federal Communications Commission)(Brief article)
November 3, 2006... Byline: Denise Pappalardo The FCC reclassified broadband over power lines (BPL) as an information service at its open meeting Friday. The change puts BPL services on "a regulatory level playing field," with DSL and cable modem...

Just how far can WiMAX go?
November 3, 2006... Byline: Thomas Nolle Last month's WiMAX World conference further raised the profile of a technology that's gotten a lot of attention for years, despite the fact that the standards are only now starting to gel. WiMAX is seen as a kind...

Vendor pumps ITIL support into automation software; iConclude upgrades flagship OpsForce software to handle enterprise-scale automation and support standard industry best practices.(Information technology Infrastructure Library)
November 3, 2006... Byline: Denise Dubie Automation software maker iConclude this week made available an upgraded version of its flagship product that the company says can automate tasks across larger networks and align automated processes with best...

Cingular expands geographic reach of its 3G wireless network; Cingular rolling out high-speed wireless services throughout the United States.(Brief article)
November 3, 2006... Byline: Denise Pappalardo Cingular Wireless, which is investing $6 billion in its network this year, has expanded its 3G infrastructure into a handful of cities over the past two weeks. On Thursday, the largest wireless service...

Get ready for wireless convergence; Dual-mode devices that merge cellular and Wi-Fi networks are on the way. What has to happen to make them work for your business?
November 4, 2006... Byline: Joanie Wexler Today, mobile business users navigate a patchwork of wireless networks. Most connections must be set up, torn down and reinitiated when users cross Wi-Fi and cellular network boundaries. Work is afoot,...

Consumer services re expected to come first.(Brief article)
November 4, 2006... Byline: Joanie Wexler Some consumer dual-mode services are already available internationally, and at least one trial has begun in the United States. Residential dual-network services are likely to precede business services, because...

What to read to get ahead; SIM's 2007 book list highlights books that will enhance your leadership development.
November 4, 2006... Hit the books if you want to become an IT leader. The Society for Information Management has announced the 2007 book list for its Regional Leadership Forum, a program that grooms IT pros eager to advance to executive positions. SIM...

Vote fraud: a business opportunity? Hoping electronic voting won't be a big story this week.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Scott Bradner Tuesday is Election Day in the United States, so it seems to be a perfect time to revisit the ongoing saga of voting-machine companies that would rather fight than fix and of elections officials whose loyalties...

Tornado speeds PC data transfers.(Data Drive Thru Tornado data communications equipment)(Skype SPH101 Wi-Fi Phone )(Product/service evaluation)
November 6, 2006... Byline: Keith Shaw The scoop: The Tornado by Data Drive Thru, about $60. What it is: The Tornado is about the size of a deck of cards and includes two retractable USB cables. The device lets you quickly and easily connect two...

Xen embraces Windows.(XenSource Inc. developing XenEnterprise for Windows virtualization software)
November 6, 2006... Byline: Jennifer Mears Here is yet more evidence that the virtualization market is maturing as VMware competitors advance their technology: The open source Xen virtualization project will soon support Windows. On Monday,...

What's this IP address doing in political race?
November 6, 2006... Byline: Paul McNamara Here's a relatively minor yet annoying matter to think about before heading off to the polls: Someone within the Securities and Exchange Commission appears to be using his or her work time and government-issued...

How we conducted Wi-Fi scalability test.
November 6, 2006... Byline: David Newman The "enterprise" in "enterprise Wi-Fi scalability" implies a larger system than a handful of access points, each supporting a few clients. Accordingly, we asked each participating vendor to supply 25 access...

Simula airs open source bundle; Simula Labs bundles open source software and services for enterprise consumption.(Company overview)
November 6, 2006... Byline: Denise Dubie Part incubator, part commercial services provider, Simula Labs this week is set to debut a bundle of software and services that industry watchers say could help enterprise IT shops shore up their open source...

LAN switching's most burning questions; Which LAN switches are fastest? What about Wi-Fi? Can you afford Cisco?
November 6, 2006... Byline: Phil Hochmuth Asphalt and copper pipes might be boring, but without them, there's no highway system or running water. It's similar with LAN switching, a sometimes taken-for-granted technology without which there is no...

Nuances matter in net neutrality.
November 6, 2006... Byline: Johna Till Johnson There are some things you can't disagree with (not if you want to remain part of the human race). In telecom circles, that includes net neutrality. Favor it, and you're for free speech, the rights of the...

Breaking the standards.(design flaw in the Wi-Fi protocol that affects performance testing)
November 6, 2006... Byline: David NewmanaandaDavid Newman We are used to breaking products in lab testing, but this time we broke 802.11 itself. Our tests uncovered a design flaw in the Wi-Fi protocol that affects performance testing, not just for current...

Aruba conquers challenge of Wi-Fi scalability; Two WLAN vendors brave our massive test plan.
November 6, 2006... Byline: David Newman a Every Wi-Fi vendor talks in their marketing material about scaling up for enterprise service, but how many actually walk the walk? We found out after conducting our largest Wi-Fi test ever. Teaming with...

Will Wi-Fi kill wired Ethernet at the LAN edge?
November 6, 2006... Byline: Phil Hochmuth The line is blurring between wireless LAN and Ethernet switch gear that connects end users, as vendors such as Cisco, Nortel, 3Com and others have worked to link these products into a supposedly seamless access...

IPolicy aims to improve relevancy of security alerts; Intrusion-prevention firewalls gain antivirus filtering, data correlation and application-blocking features.(IPolicy Networks)(Brief article)
November 6, 2006... Byline: Ellen Messmer IPolicy Networks is bolstering its intrusion-prevention firewalls to provide IT managers with more relevant information about security events that threaten an organization. The vendor this week is expected to...

Are Cisco switches really so expensive?(Cisco Systems Inc.)
November 6, 2006... Byline: Phil Hochmuth Cisco is the dominant LAN switch vendor, both in the amount of ports it ships worldwide, and its revenue for switch ports sold. One common industry assumption is that Cisco gear is high-priced, but worth the...

Two tools for finding out what's going on.(BGInfo is a desktop utility software)
November 6, 2006... Byline: Mark Gibbs When you sit down at someone's PC to fix whatever they've broken, do you find yourself always going through the same old process of trying to figure out how exactly the machine is configured? We have just stumbled...

Picking the 'best' packet size.
November 6, 2006... Byline: David Newman It's a common benchmarking practice to take multiple measurements of throughput or latency, each using a different packet size. There's no one right answer as to which packet size represents the "best" result. ...