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May 01, 2004
May 28, 2004
Secure World Expo, Lighter On Airlines, Same Tasty Content
By
Jonathan Feldman
at 04:27 PM
This week’s Secure World Expo in Atlanta was an interesting show – the whole Secure World show model is to be a local show with national players. Companies and speakers were drawn from the local Atlanta area (for instance, local up-and-coming Lancope), but this didn’t prevent the show from having some pretty heavy content and relevant vendor booths. It definitely wasn’t huge, but it was nicely focused.
The presenters were also pretty good...
Continue reading "Secure World Expo, Lighter On Airlines, Same Tasty Content"
Posted here at 04:27 PM in Security
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May 27, 2004
May 27 Issue Online
By
Tom LaSusa
at 11:19 AM
Greetings All,
Just in case you missed it, our May 27th issue is available online. Here's a glimpse at what you'll find inside:
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The State of Wireless Networking: Wi-Fi may be the new frontier, but the trick is knowing when the time is right to boldly cross over to adoption. We examine the status of wireless LAN standards, vendors and security.
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NetWorld+Interop Best of Show Awards: With over 180 products to consider in 10 categories, selecting the best of the best is no easy task. Find out which products surpassed the judge's tough expectations when it came to criteria ranging from key distinguishing features to price.
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Review: Enterprise Radius Servers: After testing five enterprise-class Radius Servers, we gave our Editor's Choice award to the one with top-notch standards compliance and flexible pricing.
As always, you can grab these and the rest of the contents of the new issue from our RSS feed, or you can browse for stories here.
Posted here at 11:19 AM in
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All Systems Clear
By
Lori MacVittie
at 08:38 AM
Aside from having to come in really early this morning to deal with the power outage, all went well this morning.
Power was out for around 15 minutes, but the APC UPS kept NWC Inc. chugging along as though nothing had happened.
Of course when the power guys came in and asked, "Why aren't the lights on down here?" I almost bit one of them in the ankle. I mean, aren't they supposed to know why?
Sheesh! They fixed the problem right away and all is just cheesy now.
Posted here at 08:38 AM in NWC Inc
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May 26, 2004
Can Google Stay on Top?
By
Tom LaSusa
at 02:09 PM
Anyone that watches "American Idol" knows -- the public is a fickle lot. Yesterday's potential Idol one day can be packing it in the next. The same could be said for Google. Right now, it's the market leader -- but so was Yahoo once. Now, according to a recent study, the difference between Google and other search engines is shrinking, with rivals only a couple of percentage points behind in search results.
I can hear the judges now...
Randy: "Yo Dawg, yo. It was a'ight. I wasn't feeling it though."
Paula: "Google, you have such amazing potential. We are all truly blessed to have you here with us."
Simon: "My advice would be if you want to pursue a career in the search-engine business, don't."
Posted here at 02:09 PM in Techno-Oddities
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May 24, 2004
Penn & Teller Rule
By
MikeDeMaria
at 12:59 AM
 Finally the N+I hangover has ended and I found my camera uplink cable. About 15 hours before taking off, I got to see Penn & Teller at the Rio. Yes, you should see it. Afterwards I got the DVD of their Showtime series. I'm not going to write the series title, but you can figure it out. Yes, you should buy it. What's really great is that both of them stuck around after the show signing autographs. I like when performers do that. Incidently, Penn used to write for PC Computing. I wonder if he reads us. View full size image
Posted here at 12:59 AM in Techno-Oddities
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May 22, 2004
My Favorite 404s
By
Brad Shimmin
at 02:18 PM
 In conjunction with our current Last Mile entry, where we asked you to submit your favorite 404 errors, I've created for you a list of my favorite page not found (er) pages. I hope you enjoy them. Special thanks to 404 Research Lab, keepers of the 404 flame.
Posted here at 02:18 PM in Techno-Oddities
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May 21, 2004
The Dice Man
By
Lori MacVittie
at 09:55 PM
Well, since I mentioned the dice man from N+I in my short entry on Dice.com's web services interface, I thought it only fair that I share it with those of you who weren't lucky (or is that unlucky?) enough to see him in person.
View full size image
Posted here at 09:55 PM in Techno-Oddities
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UPS Testing
By
Lori MacVittie
at 08:46 PM
Well, it's been a long spring, but we're back.
Next Thursday we're going to test the UPS. Not because we want to, mind you, but because the local utility is going to be installing their automated meter reading solution and needs to cut power for, oh, say 10-15 minutes.
We'll see if our UPS lasts that long. Right now the load is pretty high because we've got all the test machines running for Don's mid-tier EAI review. We'll be keeping the winner of this one to add to our infrastructure, so it's a fairly exciting time.
Posted here at 08:46 PM in NWC Inc
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Spam Chat Transcripts Online
By
Brad Shimmin
at 11:06 AM
Thanks to everyone who attended and contributed to our Spam Chats this week with Ron Anderson regarding his recent review of Anti-Spam hardware and software solutions.
We've posted the complete chat transcripts from both sessions here. Enjoy.
Posted here at 11:06 AM in Security
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May 20, 2004
Spam Chat Today
By
Brad Shimmin
at 10:16 AM
Hi folks. Today at 12:30pm eastern, please join Ron Anderson for a fireside chat on Spam prevention. You can ask him about his recent review, or you can ask him anything you like on the topic of squashing spam. The floor is yours.
Posted here at 10:16 AM in Security
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May 19, 2004
Chat Transcript Online
By
Brad Shimmin
at 01:53 PM
Thanks to everyone who attended yesterday's chat session with Ron Anderson on his recent antispam review. If you missed the event, you can now read through the complete transcript. I've rearranged a few items to keep questions and answers in order, but the rest is verbatim.
Be sure to stop by for Ron's second "office hours" session tomorrow (May 20th) at 12:30pm eastern to ask Ron about filtering spam in your organization.
Posted here at 01:53 PM in
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May 18, 2004
Live Chat Today
By
Brad Shimmin
at 11:28 AM
 Hi folks. Ron Anderson, our intrepid Lab Director and author of "Filters Take a Bite out of SPAM," will be in our chat room today at 12:30pm eastern to answer your spam prevention questions live and in person. So bring your best questions.
If you miss today's office hours session, don't worry. We'll post the transcript later on today. But more importantly, you can meet with Ron online this Thursday (20th) for his repeat performance. We'll see you there!
Posted here at 11:28 AM in
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May 14, 2004
Last Day at the Show
By
Brad Shimmin
at 09:56 AM
 Early in the AM our intrepid Mike Lee Ron Anderson, a vendor friend from Spirent, and Mike DeMaria pause for some tasty pancakes at the Hard Rock. Click here for a bigger picture.
Continue reading "Last Day at the Show"
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May 13, 2004
Speed Skating with Tarari
By
Lori MacVittie
at 09:57 PM
Tarari introduced its latest contribution to solving the XML performance problem with a bevy of speed skaters – complete with spandex and bright colors. Tarari’s RAX content processor is designed to solve the performance quagmire currently bogging down XML and Web Services related hardware and software products. Xpath expressions are precompiled onto the RAX processor which decreases the latency introduced when searching an XML document for a specific element.
Posted here at 09:57 PM in
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WS-I Practical Use
By
Lori MacVittie
at 09:56 PM
Forum Systems introduced its XWall product at N+I and showed off one of its new features – WS-I compliance verification. The XWall is truer to the name of XML Firewall than its Sentry product, as it focuses solely on data scrubbing and controlling access to services (and does so at a price even the SMB is likely to appreciate). Its WS-I functionality is very cool, providing not only compliance tests, but validation of XML traffic against the WS-I basic profile. Not what the interop guys who spec'd out WS-I were thinking of using the profile for, but cool nonetheless.
Posted here at 09:56 PM in
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Getting Jiggy with Dell
By
Lori MacVittie
at 09:54 PM
Coyote Point Systems has made an interesting move in a partnership with Dell. Its Equalizer load balancing solution is now available on standard Dell hardware, branded with the coyote logo of the server load balancer vendor, of course. For organizations who already have a deep relationship with Dell in the data center, the move means more confidence in the hardware platform and an easier time for administrators who are already comfortable with Dell hardware.
Posted here at 09:54 PM in
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A Dicey Proposition
By
Lori MacVittie
at 09:54 PM
Some may claim that Web Services adoption has slowed and is not going anywhere, but a quick stop at Dice.com proved that many times the hype of Web Services is actually reality. Dice.com, which offers job seekers a place to tout their skills and corporations access to thousands of skilled IT professionals, takes advantage of Web Services by offering access its corporate services via a SOAP interface. By using HR-XML, Dice.com and interested organizations can easily exchange resumes and job postings in a standardized way and makes it easy for partners of Dice.com to integrate its offerings into their own. No, I wasn’t looking for a new job – the dancing dice man was just too amusing to pass up and once you stop … well, you know how it is.
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Server on a Stick
By
Lori MacVittie
at 09:53 PM
KeyComputing introduced its X-Key 2.0 Exchange Edition this week. More than just a USB device, this phallic looking device houses a full 32 bit processor and seamlessly synchronizes your e-mail with Microsoft Exchange without requiring a single configuration change on the desktop. Plug it in and KeyComputing’s custom built mail client will open your encrypted e-mail stored on the X-Key and then attempt to synchronize with your corporate Exchange installation using OWA’s WebDAV capabilities. Documents and the applications necessary to work on them (Word, Excel, etc…) are all neatly compartmentalized on the USB device and KeyComputing promises that all traces of your activity, including the browser cache and documents in temporary directories, will be removed when you disconnect.
Posted here at 09:53 PM in
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May 12, 2004
Provisioning-The Secret Sauce
By
Tim Wilson
at 02:17 PM
I've visited with a number of vendors here at this week's Networld+Interop conference, and one theme has emerged -- the need for automated provisioning technology. It is clear that although IT departments have solved many of their most immediate management problems, the provisioning process remains elusive.
Hewlett-Packard, for example, spoke eloquently about Adaptive Enterprise, its strategy for virtualizing the delivery of various IT elements, from server capacity to network bandwidth. HP has a plan for evolving the virtualization process toward full, pay-per-use utility computing, but the process gets sticky because most enteprises don't have the internal systems they need to do the provisioning of on-demand resources. HP will provide that provisioning, but as happened in the telecom service provider market, the HP services might not match the back-end processes and systems already existing in the enterprise.
Auspice, a new company on the enterprise market, is adapting its OSS technology to automate provisioning in the enterprise. Auspice has found a way to automate many of the manual management and provisioning processes executed in the NOC today, without replacing the management systems and applications already in place.
There are other examples, but the bottom line is that enterprises still haven't solved the provisioning problem. To do that, they will not only need some new technology, but also a re-evaluation of the processes they use to provision systems, networks and users in their own environments.
Posted here at 02:17 PM in
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Best of Interop Awards
By
Brad Shimmin
at 11:01 AM
Update: 17may04: We've added an audio broadcast of the complete ceremony (requires RealPlayer).
Yesterday evening we held our Best of Interop Awards ceremony, honoring the best new products, technologies and companies emerging at this year's Networld+Interop. Unlike most awards, which string out over months and months and rely on sometimes arbitrary evaluation schemes, this awards show happens in real time, at the show. Our group of more than ten editors begin on Monday, evaluating information, meeting with vendors, and in some cases working with products. Then on Tuesday, these same vendors convene to argue for their favorite solutions. It's a great system.
Here are some photos from the event. I will add some streaming audio to this mix later today or on Friday, so if you're interested in both the sounds and sights of one of these things, stay tuned.
Continue reading "Best of Interop Awards"
Posted here at 11:01 AM in
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N+I Day Two: Photo Diary
By
Brad Shimmin
at 04:47 AM
 This strange skunkwork project is the brainchild of wireless vendor firetide. It's a portable Wi-Fi video camera that Von (pictured here) and the rest of the crew wheeled around the show floor, broadcasting video back to the booth. Apparently, once all of the vendors booted up their Wi-Fi APs, the fire truck had to stick close to home to avoid interference.
Click here for a bigger picture
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Continue reading "N+I Day Two: Photo Diary"
Posted here at 04:47 AM in
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May 11, 2004
The Incredible Shrinking N+I
By
Tim Wilson
at 04:11 PM
A few years ago, the Networld+Interop conference was one of the biggest in the computer industry, even one of the biggest to be held in Las Vegas. The show routinely absorbed all of the meeting space in the Las Vegas Convention Center, plus virtually all of the meeting space in the adjacent Las Vegas Hilton and Towers, and vendors still were looking for places to meet.
This year, N+I is a shadow of its former self. The back exhibit halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center are empty; the Hilton is playing host to a garage door convention. It seems more like the old Interop shows of the early 1990s, rather than the "power broker" events of 1999 or 2000.
Has networking become less important? No, but the radical developments of the last decade -- the move to IP, Ethernet and Web-based applications -- are largely in hand. The big controversies now surround emerging, yet less central, issues such as wireless technology or anti-spam applications. The days of using a show like N+I to test critical networking decisions -- such as routing or switching -- are waning, if not entirely gone. It's much more "business as usual" today, with fewer infrastructure decisions to make.
The fact is that networking is still essential to every enterprise, but the architectural choices are less diverse and complicated. Despite the shrinking halls of N+I, it's no less important -- though maybe a little less exciting.
Posted here at 04:11 PM in
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Listen in on the Well-Connected Awards
By
Brad Shimmin
at 03:41 PM
 If you weren't invited to the ultra-swank party held last night for our 10th Anniversary of the Well-Connected Awards, fret not. I captured some choice footage of our comic and Bruce Boardman's Network and Systems management category awards on tape and uploaded it for your listening pleasure (with RealPlayer, of course). Enjoy.
Posted here at 03:41 PM in
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Well-Connected Awards Photos
By
Brad Shimmin
at 02:42 PM
Last night marked the 10th anniversary of our Well-Connected Awards, where each year we select the best products we've reviewed in our labs during the previous year. Congratulations to all of those who won and attended! It was a great show. Despite a very dark venue and a very small digicam, I did manage to capture a few snapshots of the fine folks in attendance.
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Network Computing in lights!
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Continue reading "Well-Connected Awards Photos"
Posted here at 02:42 PM in
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Obligatory Tourist Shot
By
Brad Shimmin
at 12:10 PM
 What trip to the land of nod would be complete without an obligatory grab shot from the strip. This lovely view is of the Grand Canal shipyard at the Venetian. Why does this look so pristine and calm? The winds in Vegas were 40 mph and above on Monday, blowing most of the tourists away from the outdoor spaces. The results were surprisingly peaceful -- a city of glitter sans people. View larger image.
Posted here at 12:10 PM in
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Well-Connected Awards Awarded
By
Tom LaSusa
at 12:31 AM
Presenting the winning products and services in 44 categories within seven core markets, including best product for each section and outstanding products of the year.
Categories:
• Introduction
• Mobile and Wireless
• Security
• Management
• Digital Convergence
• Business Applications
• Infrastructure
• Storage and Servers
Posted here at 12:31 AM in
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May 10, 2004
Plush Editor's Pad Appointments
By
Brad Shimmin
at 04:43 PM
 Who says Las Vegas hotels are downtrodden and gloomy? I'm trying to figure out how I can disassemble and ship this lovely beast back to Massachusetts. Click here to view a larger image.
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New Product Sighting from N+I
By
Brad Shimmin
at 03:43 PM
Day one is not just about languishing in how-to sessions, birds-of-a-feather meetings and long lines at the Hilton Benihana. There's some real product action going on already. Here are a few press releases that have caught my eye so far today.
- Oridus Introduces the SpaceCruiser -- No, it's not an ion propulsion based blade server, it's a cross platform desktop sharing, multimedia Web conferencing, and remote access solution with new instant messaging, VoIP and videoconferencing features. Whew!
- Enterasys (we've always liked these guys) releases Matrix N-Series switches -- According to the company (no public press release available just yet) these switches will focus on "the identification, authentication and management of individual users, applications or devices."
- Force10 Networks (Not from Navarone, unfortunately) unveils the Force10 Management System (FTMS) (reported last week on Light Reading) -- As strange at it may sound, this high-performance network-centric management platform is 100 percent Java based. So you can check out your server and devices performance stats from your Palm Pilot while waiting in line at the Benihana.
BTW, will someone please tell Belkin to stop submitting product ads disguised as press releases? It's just not funny.
Posted here at 03:43 PM in
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N+I Day One: The Hotel
By
Brad Shimmin
at 10:51 AM
 After dodging a 30,000 foot thunderstorm over Atlanta (btw, with enough fuel, you can confuse big clouds by circling them many, many times), I arrived in Las Vegas and snuggled into the cozy Hard Rock Hotel. Here's a view from the "please-don't-jump" balcony, highlighting the extensive HVAC units atop the casino/mosh pit as well as the hotel's signature Les Paul guitar. Click here for a larger view.
Tonight is the Well-Connected Awards, of course, so watch this space for a photo-update from the event as well as the full list if winners. In the meantime, if I make it to the show floor for registration and acclimation, I'll update you with some more visual candy. Until then.
Posted here at 10:51 AM in
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May 09, 2004
Networld + Interop Is Here!
By
Tom LaSusa
at 04:14 PM
Our crack team of IT pros hit the floor in Las Vegas, looking for vendor hubbub and techno happenings. We'll bring you timely analysis and unguarded opinion throughout the week. Plus, you'll be able to stream random show audio as well as in-depth how-tos from our Reality Check series.
Also, this week marks the 10th anniversary of our Well-Connected Awards, direct from Networld+Interop in Las Vegas, where we will showcase the best products reviewed in our labs throughout the past year. You'll be able to check out the winners and finalists online Monday night at 10 PM EST.
Posted here at 04:14 PM in
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May 05, 2004
War Flying, now that's getting somewhere
By
Brad Shimmin
at 04:32 PM
 You can just forget prowling around the neighborhood in your Buick Skylark with a Pringles can hanging out of your window. Those days are officially over, now that Humphrey Cheung from Tom's Hardware has set the bar shall we say a bit higher, a couple of hundred feet higher to be exact.
Humphry along with some hacker buddies took to the skies onboard a couple of single-engine cessnas, repleat with off-the-shelf WiFi sniffing equipment. Did they find a few open WAPS? You could say that: from more than 4,500 discovered APs, only 30%of those were locked down via encryption. That's a lot of open windows and doors.
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May 04, 2004
Sasser Hits CPAs
By
Brad Shimmin
at 10:31 AM
 Apparently no one is safe from Sasser. This image was nabbed from a vendor booth at the AICPA tech conference. All the the IT Pros and all the IT pros' men couldn't put Sasser back in the the bottle again -- not without 37 (count them 37) patches.
Posted here at 10:31 AM in
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