Search

This section offers steps on how to start with a service-oriented architecture (SOA). It was learned that SOA builds on the stack of protocols that define Web services. It is a broad, standards-based framework in which services are built, deployed, managed, and orchestrated in pursuit of new infrastructures that respond to shifting business demands. SOA starts with a business promise of enabling enterprises to re-engineer themselves. The more dynamic the business, the more it will benefit from a well-implemented SOA. Before implementation, it is recommended to survey surroundings. An SOA involves a sprawling set of technologies. Another step is the connection of first services. Coming next is the selection and deployment of a registry or repository. The issue of convergence should come next. Security plans must be laid and a messaging infrastructure must be built. The last two steps is the deployment of service management and orchestration.

This article focuses on the continuous growth of Secure Sockets Layer virtual private networks (SSL VPN) in the U.S. industry as of February 2005. Traditionally, providing road warriors and business partners with access to back-end servers and resources has meant deploying an Internet protocol security (IPSec) VPN. For site-to-site communication, IPSec remains the only game in town, but for client-to-enterprise links, it is falling out of favor precipitously. The administrative overhead associated with deploying IPSec client software has become overwhelming given the ever increasing number of clients to support. There is also the potential that IPSec tunneling will allow an untrusted device to punch a hole through the firewall--and directly into the heart of the network. These kinds of basic problems with IPSec are why SSL VPNs are showing up on more and more IT radar screens. With an SSL VPN, there is no client software to install, let alone maintain. Not only does this cut down on IT labor, but it also means remote users aren't limited to specified locations. Public Internet kiosks, partner sites, a borrowed laptop--they all work. More importantly, with an SSL VPN there is no open tunnel to the enterprise. SSL VPNs enforce security policies on each connection, allowing access only to specific resources based on user, location, and/or device. INSETS: Locking Down the End Point;Standardizing Trust at the Edge.

This article focuses on the efforts of Asian companies to promote adoption of the next-generation Internet Protocol (IP) called IPv6. The IPv4, limits the Internet to approximately 4 billion unique addresses. Because U.S. companies control the majority of those addresses, there has been no hurry to deploy IPv6 in the U.S. By contrast, however, Asian companies, backed by government investments and mandates, have been aggressively rolling out IPv6. But more than balancing supply and demand, Asian governments and companies also see IPv6 as a business opportunity, an opportunity to innovate and leapfrog the rest of the world. By making it easier to assign Internet addresses to devices and services, IPv6 could accelerate adoption of new applications such as third generation mobile services, gaming, smart consumer appliances, smart sensors, home automation and voice over IP. That potential for innovation may prove to be the biggest driver for IPv6 adoption in the U.S., as Asian IPv6-enabled products make their way westward. The biggest advantage of IPv6 global addressing will be its capability of facilitating applications that require fast, plug-and-play connections among peer devices on the edge of the network. INSETS: Where Are We Now?;VoIp and IPv6: A Perfect Pair.

This article evaluates several Internet protocol (IP) private branch exchanges (PBX). The 3Com, Avaya, Siemens, and Zultys IP PBX were tested at the Advanced Network Computing Laboratory at the University of Hawaii. Each product provides all the familiar telephony functions, from putting people on hold with insipid music, to transferring calls and recording voice mail. But each has capabilities that go far beyond the basics. Even better, these PBX can send phone settings out to the telephone sets attached to the network, providing great control over how the phones work, which features are available to which users, what locations the phones can call and how the phones can be used. The Siemens HiPath 4000 is another mega-PBX that can he configured to support as many as 100,000 users if several of the units arc networked together. The individual HiPath 4000 that we tested can support up to 12,000 users. 3Com VCX V70 provides a Web-based interface for phone users, allowing them to set various parameters for their phones. This means that they can use the Web interface to set up button assignments, forwarding rules, speed dial numbers, and so on. Avaya's S87OO is scalable enough to handle nearly any enterprise. Properly configured, this PBX can support up to 36,000 users per server and up to 1 million by networking multiple servers together. The S8300 is much smaller, limited to 450 users per server or 28,800 per network. The company Zultys says that the MX25O was designed from the ground up as an IP PBX platform, rather than being a telephony platform with IP grafted on, or a computer with telephony grafted on. INSET: Prepping for Networked Telephony.

The article explores the benefits of merging phone systems into an enterprise data network by deploying voice over Internet protocol (voIP). Unlike residential voIP, enterprise voIP is not simply about making cheap international calls over the Internet. Instead, it aims to replace the proprietary private branch exchange (PBX) phone systems and dedicated voice networks enterprises have relied on for years with standards-based call processing servers or appliances that run digitized voice and call control over the packet-based IP data network. Also known as IP PBX, these servers provide most or all features of their legacy PBX predecessors and connect over the local area network or wide area network with IP-enabled phone handsets. IP handsets look and function exactly like their legacy predecessors, but voIP vendors have recently added more personal computer (PC) -like features, such as color displays, Web surfing capabilities and limited access to data applications in some models. IP softphones provide the same handset capabilities in software installed on a PC, notebook or sometimes even a personal digital assistant. In addition to phones and IP PBX, an important component of voIP systems is the gateway, which is used to translate between IP and the time-division multiplexing scheme used by legacy PBX and the public switched telephone network. Most IP telephony systems support a collection standards from the International Telecommunications Union called H.323, which defines how the different elements of an IP telephony system interact. H.323 includes a number of voice compression standards. A competing, up-and-coming standard is called Session Initiation Protocol (SIP). SIP can serve as standard for other Internet applications such as instant messaging, chat and multimedia messaging as well and is expected to be major force driving converged applications. INSETS: Locking Down Voice;VoIP Directory Assistance;How To Speak VoIP;Are You Ready for VoIP?

This article reports that managing 50 network devices can be a challenge, managing 5,000 is allegedly nigh impossible, and many modern networks allegedly exceed even such figure. Allegedly, in most large network environments, heterogeneous hardware is the rule, and simple tasks such as changing simple network management protocol strings, implementing and verifying best-practice guidelines, and managing configuration changes across the enterprise allegedly become enormous problems. In addition, many network administrators allegedly rely on custom tools to manage devices en masse. Although such may allegedly be appropriate for some enterprises, others are clamoring for a better mousetrap. Three companies are allegedly looking to provide such service. Allegedly Rendition Networks' TrueControl 3.0 product, AlterPoint's DeviceAuthority Suite 1.1, and Tripwire's Tripwire for Network Devices 3.0 all aim to be the network device management tool of choice. All three allegedly offer centralized management of heterogeneous network devices, supporting network devices from multiple vendors. The management tools for different vendors allegedly vary wildly. From Cisco-style command-line interfaces to Web-based configuration tools, every vendor allegedly has its own view of how a device should be managed.

Presents a comparison between the IPSec and the Security Socket Layer (SSL) virtual private network (VPN) standards. Advantages of SSL VPN over IPSec VPN; Differences between IPSec and SSL when it comes to controlling access back-end servers and other resources; Risks of SSL. INSETS: Should You Outsource Your VPN?;Virtual Network of Peers.

Discusses issues concerning the addition of blockers, spammers and services like Verisign's SiteFinder on the Internet. Problems caused by SiteFinder according to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers; Arguments against adding intelligence on the Internet; Concerns over the deployment of Internet protocols. INSETS: How to Cut Network Interference;Who Runs the Internet Anyway?.

Reports on the emergence of Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions (SIMPLE) and the open-source eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP) from the Internet Engineering Task Force. Challenge of stitching availability awareness into a variety of systems; Capabilities of SIMPLE; Advantages of XMPP.

DAVE WINER IS the keeper of the flame of 'simple.' He's the co-author of SOAP (Simple Object Access Protocol). In his day job, he's the architect of Radio Userland, a [...]

A GROUP OF companies, including Microsoft and Cisco, is announcing the implementation of a new security protocol for wireless networks. Cisco will implement the draft security standard, called 802.1x, on [...]

Microsoft has released a beta version of its XML for Analysis software development kit and an updated XML for Analysis protocol specification, giving developers tools needed to write XML-based applications [...]

Test Center experts discuss the pros and cons of these two mobile technologies The current state of the wireless world is downright exciting. Already, technologies have been implemented that allow [...]

AS THE INDUSTRY coos over XML's potential as the data interchange mechanism for e-commerce, XSL (Extensible Stylesheet Language), may be overlooked, even though it could prove a valuable asset in [...]

I'LL GET YOU, you wascally wabbit! I haven't really lost the 'R's in my vocabulary -- only temporarily misplaced them. The reason I'm feeling rather Elmer Fudd-ish is that I've [...]

Protocol to deliver Internet apps to multiple devices AKAMAI AND Network Appliance are spearheading development of the Internet Content Adaptation Protocol (ICAP), which would enable the delivery of customized Web [...]

MICROSOFT last week submitted the first version of its Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) specification for XML-based data sharing to the Internet Engineering Task Force for consideration as a standard. [...]

WITH INTERCOMPANY communication rising in importance with electronic business, a number of established enterprise application integration (EAI) vendors are jumping into the fast-growing market. The move by TSI Software, New [...]

Industry momentum behind WAP (wireless application protocol), an emerging technology standard that has the potential to bring the Web to mobile handsets, may be massive, but European users may still [...]

To realize long-range printing over the Internet, Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard last week said they will offer a beta version of Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) 1.0 as a native component of [...]

Evaluates the performance of Internet Mail Access Protocol 4 (IMAP4) products available for electronic mail (e-mail) users. History of IMAP4; IMAP4 client/server compatibility. INSETS: IMAP: A partial blessing for some, not... by Dana Gardner;A natural fit with SuiteSpot, but offline features are shaky.;Solid basic client is born to work offline, and its free.;Esy's client has the basics but lacks enterprise features.

Presents a comparison between Eudroa Pro 2.0, Pronto Mail 2.01, SuperTCP Suite 96 and Z-Mail 4.0 e-mail computer software. Corporate information on e-mail software manufacturers Qualcomm Incorporated (Inc.), CommTouch Software Inc., Frontier Technologies Corporation (Corp.) and NCD Software Corp.; Installation and configuration of the e-mail software; Thier ability to create and send messages. INSETS: One-stop shopping: Internet access for PCs..., by Dean Andrews.;Report card..

The article presents a comparison of Aventail EX-2500 and the F5 Networks FirePass 4100 secure socket layer virtual private networks and offers information on its features and cost.

Reviews two voice-over Internet Protocol-capable firewall software. Firewall 1400 from Ingate; SonicWall Pro 2040 from SonicWall.

The article evaluates two load balancers for computer networks. NetScaler 9400 Secure Application Switch is really several appliances in one. It includes sophisticated load balancing, web site acceleration technologies such as Hypertext Transfer Protocol compression and Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)-session consolidation, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) acceleration, intrusion detection and prevention, web caching and SSL Virtual Private Network capabilities. More than just a sophisticated load balancer, it increases the performance of web sites by consolidating the dozens or even hundreds of TCP connections used between a client and server to one, reducing TCP/Internet Protocol traffic and load on the server. Further, it buffers TCP connection information from slower clients, reducing TCP overhead. Redline Networks' E/X 3250 Version 3.4 has added features in its new OverDrive, which is essentially a simple programming environment for creating content-delivery applications. It makes the overall device much more flexible, because any feature can be programmed as desired, rather than having only the options that ship with the device. Because the appliance is typically installed in a single-leg typology, there is no need to change the network settings for the servers behind it.

Provides information on the mobile Internet Protocol (IP) standard for wireless communications. Details on the Mobile IP standard; How mobile IP works; Deployment of Mobile IP.

Microsoft and Cisco are working together on a number of initiatives, including a joint tunneling technology and a scalable version of the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol, that promise to significantly [...]

Cisco Systems Inc.'s announcement last week that it will provide native support for the IBM network protocol Advanced Peer-to-Peer Networking (APPN) in the third quarter of this year should be [...]

The main vendors behind the push to bring Fast Ethernet to the desktop are now focusing more on switched Ethernet as a way to increase PC bandwidths. Vendor members of [...]

Corporations are revamping their WANs to keep pace with network growth. LANs, which are practically ubiquitous, cannot fully support high-bandwidth applications, such as moving information from branch offices to corporate [...]

A revised PCMCIA bus specification should mean faster, more full-featured PCs for users by the beginning of next year. PCMCIA 3.0, due out late this summer, will offer hardware vendors [...]

MPEG for PCs is finally here, but its future in a fractured multimedia market is far from certain. Once thought of as the emerging standard for desktop PC-based video compression, [...]

Novell Inc. will debut this spring Apple client software, called MacNDS, that for the first time will put Novell's Internetwork Packet Exchange (IPX) protocol on the Macintosh. The move means [...]

Ethernet is an IS manager's dream. It lets corporations freely mix and match a wide range of vendors' products. It has given rise to a host of management tools that [...]

Users pushing the limits of traditional 10Mb Ethernet can expect more breathing room early next year with a technology that increases network speeds to 20Mb per second. The technology, called [...]

Behind closed doors at Interop this week Novell Inc. will demonstrate to select users a NetWare add-on that more easily links NetWare servers to Internet Protocol (IP) backbone networks. Such [...]

Apple Computer Inc. will usher in a new way of communicating today as it begins shipping its Newton MessagePad. But for the first six months, the Newton will limp along [...]

PC and Macintosh users on NetWare will soon be able to work together as virtual peer-to-peer workgroup clients, thanks to Novell transport technology now in early testing. Novell Inc.'s MacIPX, [...]

Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is an emerging technology that promises to change the fabric of local and wide area communications. ATM represents a new method of switching and transporting data [...]

Microsoft Corp. will ship final code for Version 2.0 of its Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) protocol in mid-March, company officials said last week. OLE is designed to make it [...]

A high-level industry task force, to be joined shortly by three major systems companies, is adopting a plan to offer a single common agent that will let any desktop PC [...]

IBM is developing a high-speed modular server technology -- based on RS/6000s clustered together with optical networking -- which could be ready next year for meeting large corporate downsizing needs. [...]

Discusses Internet Protocol (IP) management for information systems managers. Security features against address duplication of TCP/IP; Difficulty of IP management; Class sizes of address blocks; Features of the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP); Disadvantage of Classless Inter-Domain Routing (CIDR). INSET: Internet addresses get outclassed..

Scaling problems associated with sending video and other traffic across IP networks could be solved through a new proposal that would overcome the limitations of existing IP Multicast technologies. The [...]

A co-founder of Sun Microsystems met with top Japanese manufacturers to drum up support for the company's Jini architecture. Bill Joy, Sun co-founder and chief architect of Jini, briefed executives [...]

JDK's support of Socks protocol highlights its emergence The use of the Socks protocol for securing and providing byte-by-byte control of traffic through a network's control point gained steam following [...]

The Internet is filled with phone and e-mail directories. Most are pathetically inaccurate. As a test, I looked up my name and address using three leading Web directories. Lycos' WhoWhere [...]

Definition IPv6: The next generation of the dominant networking protocol. This upgrade from IPv4 will include improvements such as simplified routing and increased address space to better support business computing. [...]

The explosion of IP-based services may hasten the need for a controversial new version of IP that could create headaches for service providers and enterprises. Observers say the advent of [...]

Level 3 Communications last week announced it is working with other vendors -- via the formation of a technical advisory council (TAC) -- to develop a protocol to bridge the [...]