Blue Titan Software, a new company formed from the merger of two Web services software providers, has introduced the first complete Web services networking solution designed specifically for mission-critical enterprise architectures.
Blue Titan, which launched recently at PC Forum in Scottsdale, Ariz., is introducing a complete product line that enables companies to deploy and manage Web services networks that provide reliability, security and active performance management from the origin to the edge of their enterprise infrastructure.
Blue Titan targets major enterprises deploying Web services-oriented architectures to support their mission-critical systems and processes. Initial customers will be financial institutions, telecommunications providers, transportation and logistics companies, and other enterprises where computer systems govern mission-critical transactions and processes.
"The very attributes that make Web services pervasive -- loosely coupled components exposed using standard interfaces and communicating via Internet protocols -- can make them inherently unpredictable," said Frank Martinez, CTO and founder of Blue Titan. "Blue Titan bridges this loosely coupled world with the demands of enterprise computing, enabling companies to network and manage mission-critical Web services from the origin to the edge.Today's non-systemic approaches for managing and deploying Web services do not realize the broad strategic benefit of services-oriented architectures," said Brent Sleeper, co-founder of the Stencil Group. "Enterprise IT organizations realize that issues of manageability, business control and quality of service are critical, and Blue Titan's approach of Web services networking is very compatible with this long-term vision."
Blue Titan Software was formed as a result of a merger between two Web services companies, ServiceMesh, a San Francisco-based provider of Web services networking solutions, and VelociGen, a four-year-old developer of composite Web services software, based in San Diego.
The company was founded by Mr. Martinez, a former senior technical executive at Intershop Communications; Draper Fisher Jurvetson, the venture capital firm; and Glenn Hasen, Blue Titan's CEO and a former executive at Pivotal Corporation, Information Builders and Computer Associates. The company's senior management also includes VelociGen's co-founder, Tony Darugar, now Blue Titan's chief architect; and Tej Sidhu, former president and COO of VelociGen, who serves as Blue Titan's Executive Vice President of Corporate Development.
Along with a seasoned management team and a market-ready product line, Blue Titan will leverage existing customer relationships with a number of blue-chip companies, including Ford Motor Company, Goldman Sachs and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
The Blue Titan product line provides origin-to-edge Web services networking inside existing enterprise IT environments. Blue Titan's solution leverages prior investments in systems and networks and eliminates the traditional rip-and-replace process often associated with the introduction of new architectures
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Adic Scalar Storage Networking Libraries Are Now All 2 Gb Fibre Ready
Advanced Digital Information Corporation (Nasdaq:ADIC), a provider of Intelligent Storage solutions, announced recently the upgrading of its entire family of Scalar storage networking libraries to 2 Gb/second Fibre Channel interface.
The announcement covers all Fibre Channel connected models of ADIC's Scalar 100, Scalar 1000, and Scalar 10K automated tape libraries. The Scalar line provides data protection and high capacity storage for the industry's widest range of IT environments -- from workgroups and remote offices to the largest enterprise data centers with models that support from 1 to over 600 drives and from 15 to over 15,000 data cartridges.
"We started shipping 2 Gb storage networking libraries in selected ADIC libraries beginning in July of 2001 and have a substantial installed base," said Bill Britts, ADIC executive vice president of Sales and Marketing. "Now that many of the leading SAN infrastructure suppliers are making 2 Gb products available, we have extended support for the newer, faster standard to all of our storage networking libraries, including both ADIC-branded and OEM models. For our customers, it means that all of their ADIC storage solutions will integrate easily into the latest generation of SAN environments and take full advantage of their systems' total performance capabilities."
ADIC's Scalar series tape libraries were the industry's first integrated storage networking libraries. They pioneered the integration of SAN management services into automated libraries, offering built-in SAN security, integrated data path verification, redundant path support, error recovery, and performance optimization. The Scalar 100 is a scalable mid-range, rack optimized tape library that supports from 1 to 8 tape drives and from 15 to 96 tapes, depending on the configuration and technology selected. Available with LTO, S/DLT, and AIT technologies, the Scalar 100 holds up to 25 terabytes of data in only 14 rack units. Internal upgrades allow the Scalar 100 to grow with users' data easily and quickly.
The Scalar 1000 is a high performance scalable tape library that reduces Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) in high growth environments. The Scalar 1000's barrier-free expansion systems allows it to grow easily with data while maintaining superior performance and reliability -- and eliminating use of pass-through ports. The Scalar 1000 supports from 1 to 48 drives, and from 118 to 1182 tapes. Supported technology includes LTO, S/DLT, AIT and 3590 in single or mixed-media configurations.
The Scalar 10K was the first library in the industry designed for enterprise data consolidation. The Scalar 10K is the first enterprise library to offer capacity-on-demand upgrades and true high availability architecture. Its barrier-free scalability allows it to grow easily with users' data without using pass-through ports. The Scalar 10K is available in LTO, SDLT, AIT and mixed media configurations, supporting up to 648 drives and 15,885 cartridges for a total native capacity of up to 1,588 TB
The announcement covers all Fibre Channel connected models of ADIC's Scalar 100, Scalar 1000, and Scalar 10K automated tape libraries. The Scalar line provides data protection and high capacity storage for the industry's widest range of IT environments -- from workgroups and remote offices to the largest enterprise data centers with models that support from 1 to over 600 drives and from 15 to over 15,000 data cartridges.
"We started shipping 2 Gb storage networking libraries in selected ADIC libraries beginning in July of 2001 and have a substantial installed base," said Bill Britts, ADIC executive vice president of Sales and Marketing. "Now that many of the leading SAN infrastructure suppliers are making 2 Gb products available, we have extended support for the newer, faster standard to all of our storage networking libraries, including both ADIC-branded and OEM models. For our customers, it means that all of their ADIC storage solutions will integrate easily into the latest generation of SAN environments and take full advantage of their systems' total performance capabilities."
ADIC's Scalar series tape libraries were the industry's first integrated storage networking libraries. They pioneered the integration of SAN management services into automated libraries, offering built-in SAN security, integrated data path verification, redundant path support, error recovery, and performance optimization. The Scalar 100 is a scalable mid-range, rack optimized tape library that supports from 1 to 8 tape drives and from 15 to 96 tapes, depending on the configuration and technology selected. Available with LTO, S/DLT, and AIT technologies, the Scalar 100 holds up to 25 terabytes of data in only 14 rack units. Internal upgrades allow the Scalar 100 to grow with users' data easily and quickly.
The Scalar 1000 is a high performance scalable tape library that reduces Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) in high growth environments. The Scalar 1000's barrier-free expansion systems allows it to grow easily with data while maintaining superior performance and reliability -- and eliminating use of pass-through ports. The Scalar 1000 supports from 1 to 48 drives, and from 118 to 1182 tapes. Supported technology includes LTO, S/DLT, AIT and 3590 in single or mixed-media configurations.
The Scalar 10K was the first library in the industry designed for enterprise data consolidation. The Scalar 10K is the first enterprise library to offer capacity-on-demand upgrades and true high availability architecture. Its barrier-free scalability allows it to grow easily with users' data without using pass-through ports. The Scalar 10K is available in LTO, SDLT, AIT and mixed media configurations, supporting up to 648 drives and 15,885 cartridges for a total native capacity of up to 1,588 TB
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Networking
Nokia CC2500, Nokia CC500
Need a virtual private network? Look no further than the Nokia CC2500 and CC500. The CC2500 is ideal for medium-size to large sites, while the CC500 is intended for small branch offices. Both use dedicated hardware encryption and offer high throughput. Using Nokia's patented clustering technology, which lets multiple units share a single IP address, the CC2500 and CC500 provide excellent load balancing and failover protection. And the devices are easy to manage with Nokia's well-organized VPN Policy Manager, which lets the administrator manage and configure all of the CryptoCluster units from a single system.(CC2500: $9,995 list; CC500: $1,495. Nokia Corp., www.nokia.com. Read our reviews of the Nokia CC2500 and the Nokia CC500 as part of our Safe Passage roundupSitting at the front of a Web site's server farm, the NetScaler 3100 takes responsibility for many of the chores that servers don't handle efficiently, such as setting up and tearing down connections. To reduce the load on Web servers, the 3100 combines external requests into fewer persistent TCP connections and HTTP requests. Impressively, the 3100 can manage more than 340,000 concurrent TCP sessions with a Windows 2000 Web server while averaging from 143 to 202 HTTP gets per second. ($20,000 list. NetScaler Inc., www.netscaler.com. Read our First Looks review of NetScaler 3100.)
SMC TigerStack II SMC6624M
The SMC TigerStack II SMC6624M offers a combination rarely found in a managed switch: good virtual LAN (VLAN) support and low price. For less than $1,000, you get a 24-port managed switch that can be stacked into a configuration of up to 16 units, offering a port density of 384 ports all managed from a single IP address. Meanwhile, its nonblocking 9.6-Gbps switch fabric ensures high performance. ($699 list. SMC Networks Inc., www.smc.com. Read our review of SMC TigerStack II SMC6624M as part of our Which Switch? roundup.)
EtherPeek
No network administrator should be without a network monitoring application. This is, after all, the window into your network. EtherPeek provides the best view for under $1,000. It combines an extensive set of traffic monitoring and packet capture tools with an attractive interface. Network statistics are represented with easily digested graphics. A host of options let you simply create advanced filters and set alarms. EtherPeek even allows administrators to remotely manage multiple LAN segments. ($995 direct. WildPackets Inc., www.wildpackets.com. Read our review of EtherPeek as part of our Sniff Out Trouble roundup.)
Agere Orinoco AP-1000
Among enterprise-level wireless LAN access points, the Agere Orinoco AP-1000 offers the best combination of features and performance mix. It touts excellent site-survey and link-testing tools, as well as superior AP and client-configuration managers. The Orinoco AP Manager software makes installation and configuration remarkably easy. And thanks to the included HP OpenView plug-in, you can manage multiple Orinoco AP-1000s remotely. ($995 list. Agere Systems, www.orinocowireless.com.)
ScanMail 3 for Microsoft Exchange and ScanMail eManager
The corporate e-mail system can be a major vulnerability. A single virus can cost the company tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue, and it can take days to recover. Trend Micro's ScanMail 3 for Microsoft Exchange and ScanMail eManager keep viruses and other undesirable content away. ScanMail is easy to install on your servers, where it scans messages in real time. Meanwhile, ScanMail eManager, which plugs into ScanMail 3, provides content filtering with extensive options. (ScanMail 3 for Microsoft Exchange: For 100 users, $1,200 direct; ScanMail eManager: For 100 users, $600. Trend Micro Inc., www.antivirus.com. Read our review of ScanMail 3 for Microsoft Exchange and ScanMail eManager as part of our "No More Letter Bombs" roundup
Need a virtual private network? Look no further than the Nokia CC2500 and CC500. The CC2500 is ideal for medium-size to large sites, while the CC500 is intended for small branch offices. Both use dedicated hardware encryption and offer high throughput. Using Nokia's patented clustering technology, which lets multiple units share a single IP address, the CC2500 and CC500 provide excellent load balancing and failover protection. And the devices are easy to manage with Nokia's well-organized VPN Policy Manager, which lets the administrator manage and configure all of the CryptoCluster units from a single system.(CC2500: $9,995 list; CC500: $1,495. Nokia Corp., www.nokia.com. Read our reviews of the Nokia CC2500 and the Nokia CC500 as part of our Safe Passage roundupSitting at the front of a Web site's server farm, the NetScaler 3100 takes responsibility for many of the chores that servers don't handle efficiently, such as setting up and tearing down connections. To reduce the load on Web servers, the 3100 combines external requests into fewer persistent TCP connections and HTTP requests. Impressively, the 3100 can manage more than 340,000 concurrent TCP sessions with a Windows 2000 Web server while averaging from 143 to 202 HTTP gets per second. ($20,000 list. NetScaler Inc., www.netscaler.com. Read our First Looks review of NetScaler 3100.)
SMC TigerStack II SMC6624M
The SMC TigerStack II SMC6624M offers a combination rarely found in a managed switch: good virtual LAN (VLAN) support and low price. For less than $1,000, you get a 24-port managed switch that can be stacked into a configuration of up to 16 units, offering a port density of 384 ports all managed from a single IP address. Meanwhile, its nonblocking 9.6-Gbps switch fabric ensures high performance. ($699 list. SMC Networks Inc., www.smc.com. Read our review of SMC TigerStack II SMC6624M as part of our Which Switch? roundup.)
EtherPeek
No network administrator should be without a network monitoring application. This is, after all, the window into your network. EtherPeek provides the best view for under $1,000. It combines an extensive set of traffic monitoring and packet capture tools with an attractive interface. Network statistics are represented with easily digested graphics. A host of options let you simply create advanced filters and set alarms. EtherPeek even allows administrators to remotely manage multiple LAN segments. ($995 direct. WildPackets Inc., www.wildpackets.com. Read our review of EtherPeek as part of our Sniff Out Trouble roundup.)
Agere Orinoco AP-1000
Among enterprise-level wireless LAN access points, the Agere Orinoco AP-1000 offers the best combination of features and performance mix. It touts excellent site-survey and link-testing tools, as well as superior AP and client-configuration managers. The Orinoco AP Manager software makes installation and configuration remarkably easy. And thanks to the included HP OpenView plug-in, you can manage multiple Orinoco AP-1000s remotely. ($995 list. Agere Systems, www.orinocowireless.com.)
ScanMail 3 for Microsoft Exchange and ScanMail eManager
The corporate e-mail system can be a major vulnerability. A single virus can cost the company tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue, and it can take days to recover. Trend Micro's ScanMail 3 for Microsoft Exchange and ScanMail eManager keep viruses and other undesirable content away. ScanMail is easy to install on your servers, where it scans messages in real time. Meanwhile, ScanMail eManager, which plugs into ScanMail 3, provides content filtering with extensive options. (ScanMail 3 for Microsoft Exchange: For 100 users, $1,200 direct; ScanMail eManager: For 100 users, $600. Trend Micro Inc., www.antivirus.com. Read our review of ScanMail 3 for Microsoft Exchange and ScanMail eManager as part of our "No More Letter Bombs" roundup
Site networking and beyond
During the past several years, information technology and process automation systems that support the manufacturing enterprise have evolved from individual, isolated computers and proprietary operat-ing systems and networks to interconnected systems and applications employing open architectures and standard protocols.
These manufacturing computer systems are now integrating with enterprise resource planning systems through site and corporate communication networks.
The business benefits are undeniable and manyfold. Along with the benefits of open systems and integrated architectures come potential risks to the business and manufacturing enterprise.
Historically corporations have implemented firewalls at the perimeter of their data communication networks.
The concept of having a safe operational environment within the corporate network perimeter will diminish over time as networks expand, more applications interoperate, and support of systems is done remotely.CRITICAL SECURITY QUESTIONS
The key to developing effective strategies to mitigate information security risks is the management of interdependencies of process, policies, procedures, and people in combination with the appropriate application of security technology.
The critical security questions are:
* What security issues relate to the physical connectivity between our process control systems and the rest of the world?
* How do we handle people who need to access our process control systems from the corporate intranet, from our trading partners on the extranet, or from the Internet? What guidance and/or constraints should we provide for those people who need to access the resources that are inside the process control domain?
* For people inside the process control domain such as operators and process engineers, what security guidance is required to access resources that are outside that process control domain-the intranet, extranet, or Internet?
To address these issues, DuPont developed a security analysis methodology to analyze the security risks associated with integrated manufacturing computer systems. The methodology has four major steps:
Review-The review phase entails understanding corporate information security policies and soliciting participation from all stakeholders, including process engineers, operations people, and local information technology staff.
Design-Analysis of risk is the basis for the selection of mitigation strategies and tactics.
Using several tools helps provide the basic understanding to select appropriate mitigation strategies. These include a process control network (PCN) characterization form to inventory process control system/network components, simple network block diagrams to depict the relationship of devices' applications with their associated information flow, and the risk analysis completed in the review phase.
Upon defining strategies, the network and system architecture form and incorporate appropriate security technologies such as firewalls, strong (two-factor) authentication, digital certificates, and data encryption.
Designers develop or modify security policies and procedures to accommodate and support mitigation strategies. Firewalls and authentication methods are designed to be choke points and may create a single point of failure in the network architecture.
Implementation-Configuration, testing, and rolling out security policies and technology solutions take place during this phase. Attention must go to proactive communication and education of all personnel affected by security systems, policies, and procedures.
Support and Maintenance-To support the security infrastructure, policies and procedures must be implemented to address subject areas such as access control, auditing of policy implementation, auditing of event journals, authorization mechanisms, disaster recovery planning, intrusion detection, change management, definition of roles and responsibilities, and periodic vulnerability analysis.
MEDIEVAL DEFENSE LINE
The following risk mitigation strategies provide the basis for a robust security policy to protect process control systems and networks:
* All process control networks shall be isolated by a firewall or disconnected from any external network (local-area network, wide-area network, Internet).
* Interactive access to the process control network shall require strong (two-factor) authentication and authorization.
* Noninteractive access shall be source-destination controlled using static rules based on Internet protocol addresses and services.
* Business-critical data traversing nonprotected (public) networks shall be encrypted.
* Virus protection software shall be run on process control computers, servers, and operator stations
These manufacturing computer systems are now integrating with enterprise resource planning systems through site and corporate communication networks.
The business benefits are undeniable and manyfold. Along with the benefits of open systems and integrated architectures come potential risks to the business and manufacturing enterprise.
Historically corporations have implemented firewalls at the perimeter of their data communication networks.
The concept of having a safe operational environment within the corporate network perimeter will diminish over time as networks expand, more applications interoperate, and support of systems is done remotely.CRITICAL SECURITY QUESTIONS
The key to developing effective strategies to mitigate information security risks is the management of interdependencies of process, policies, procedures, and people in combination with the appropriate application of security technology.
The critical security questions are:
* What security issues relate to the physical connectivity between our process control systems and the rest of the world?
* How do we handle people who need to access our process control systems from the corporate intranet, from our trading partners on the extranet, or from the Internet? What guidance and/or constraints should we provide for those people who need to access the resources that are inside the process control domain?
* For people inside the process control domain such as operators and process engineers, what security guidance is required to access resources that are outside that process control domain-the intranet, extranet, or Internet?
To address these issues, DuPont developed a security analysis methodology to analyze the security risks associated with integrated manufacturing computer systems. The methodology has four major steps:
Review-The review phase entails understanding corporate information security policies and soliciting participation from all stakeholders, including process engineers, operations people, and local information technology staff.
Design-Analysis of risk is the basis for the selection of mitigation strategies and tactics.
Using several tools helps provide the basic understanding to select appropriate mitigation strategies. These include a process control network (PCN) characterization form to inventory process control system/network components, simple network block diagrams to depict the relationship of devices' applications with their associated information flow, and the risk analysis completed in the review phase.
Upon defining strategies, the network and system architecture form and incorporate appropriate security technologies such as firewalls, strong (two-factor) authentication, digital certificates, and data encryption.
Designers develop or modify security policies and procedures to accommodate and support mitigation strategies. Firewalls and authentication methods are designed to be choke points and may create a single point of failure in the network architecture.
Implementation-Configuration, testing, and rolling out security policies and technology solutions take place during this phase. Attention must go to proactive communication and education of all personnel affected by security systems, policies, and procedures.
Support and Maintenance-To support the security infrastructure, policies and procedures must be implemented to address subject areas such as access control, auditing of policy implementation, auditing of event journals, authorization mechanisms, disaster recovery planning, intrusion detection, change management, definition of roles and responsibilities, and periodic vulnerability analysis.
MEDIEVAL DEFENSE LINE
The following risk mitigation strategies provide the basis for a robust security policy to protect process control systems and networks:
* All process control networks shall be isolated by a firewall or disconnected from any external network (local-area network, wide-area network, Internet).
* Interactive access to the process control network shall require strong (two-factor) authentication and authorization.
* Noninteractive access shall be source-destination controlled using static rules based on Internet protocol addresses and services.
* Business-critical data traversing nonprotected (public) networks shall be encrypted.
* Virus protection software shall be run on process control computers, servers, and operator stations
Monday, November 27, 2006
Tape management in a storage networking environment
Today, the paradigm shift in storage architectures from direct-attached storage to storage area network and network-attached storage, and to emerging standards such as iSCSI, has a strong impact on the requirements for storage management software. The managed storage resources could be disks (from a few disks to a large disk subsystem) or tapes (from a single tape drive to large automated tape libraries). A key challenge in this field is the management of removable media such as tape, optical, or others. Besides having to keep track of a potentially enormous number of different volumes and maintaining records of important attributes such as media owner, age, I/O errors, media-pool affiliation, and much more, the open storage networking environment raises new questions. In a scenario in which the use of SCSI devices is no longer restricted to a small number of locally attached servers, security and robustness become increasingly important issues. Access conflicts must be carefully controlled, mount operations have to run in a robust manner, and it is mandatory to comply with a security concept that protects data as well as privacy and confidentiality. This paper concerns the new requirements for tape management systems in storage networking environments. It describes the challenges and relates these requirements to the standards that exist todayTape storage remains a fundamental part of today's corporate data centers. It is well established as a backup medium because of its low cost per megabyte and its inherent reliability. However, applications and operating systems that use tape must support a wide variety of tape drives and libraries. The lack of an industry standard that isolates host applications and operating systems from tape hardware means that each new technology requires adaptations to existing software. The paradigm shift in architectures from direct-attached storage (DAS) to storage area network (SAN), network-attached storage (NAS), and emerging standards such as iSCSI1 compounds the requirements for technology changes and upgrades.
Instead of storage hardware being directly connected to a computer system, storage devices and hosts are now connected to separate storage networks interconnected by routers and switches. The fact that each host may potentially access each storage device increases the complexity and affects the requirements for storage management software. With the enhanced flexibility and scalability provided by storage networks, customers now have a strong demand for
* Centralized resource management that provides secure sharing of tape resources among multiple heterogeneous applications, enhanced access control mechanisms, an enterprise-wide repository for removable media, and policy-based media management.
* Platform and operating system independence to work with existing computer systems from multiple vendors.
* Application independence to provide media management functionality for a wide variety of applications.
Currently, at least two industry standards address most of these problems and are gaining widespread acceptance:
* IEEE Standard 1244 for Media Management Systems [1].
* The Common Information Model (CIM) [2] developed by the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) [3] and the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) [4].
This paper outlines the main requirements for tape management systems in SAN environments and discusses how these standards address customer requirements.
Managing resources in a SAN
Without storage resource management software or without the explicit use of subsystems that support virtualization of resources to overcome the need for software management of shared hardware resources, any application running on any host may access any storage hardware connected to the same SAN in an uncoordinated manner. Coordinating shared access and enforcing access-control mechanisms for tape media, tape drives, and tape libraries are among the most important problems addressed by media-management software.
Robust storage management capability is commonplace in the mainframe world, where products such as the Computer Associates CA-I** and the IBM DFSMSrmm have provided enterprise-class media-management functionality for years. Now the challenge is to bring this mainframe-class media management to the heterogeneous open-systems world.
Media and drive device sharing
Typical storage networks provide physical access control by using techniques, such as logical unit number (LUN) masking or zoning, that enable, disable, or limit host access to specific hardware resources. Additionally, connections to storage devices may be reserved exclusively for a particular host bus adapter that attaches a host computer to the storage network. Because all applications running on the same host may have shared access to the same connection, all applications may potentially share the same storage-and frequently will contend for it at the most unfavorable time in the most unfavorable way. For block-based disk storage accessed through a file system layer, this might not be a problem. Here, the file system, together with the operating system, takes care of ownership and access rights and maps all of the blocks of data representing a file to physical disk storage. But tape storage is not usually accessed in this manner, especially not in the open-systems world. In a worst-case scenario, one application is used to sequentially write data to a tape, while another application is used to rewind the tape afterwards and, when called upon, overwrite it. Without access control mechanisms, any program is allowed to read data from a tape just because the tape is still mounted in a tape drive
Instead of storage hardware being directly connected to a computer system, storage devices and hosts are now connected to separate storage networks interconnected by routers and switches. The fact that each host may potentially access each storage device increases the complexity and affects the requirements for storage management software. With the enhanced flexibility and scalability provided by storage networks, customers now have a strong demand for
* Centralized resource management that provides secure sharing of tape resources among multiple heterogeneous applications, enhanced access control mechanisms, an enterprise-wide repository for removable media, and policy-based media management.
* Platform and operating system independence to work with existing computer systems from multiple vendors.
* Application independence to provide media management functionality for a wide variety of applications.
Currently, at least two industry standards address most of these problems and are gaining widespread acceptance:
* IEEE Standard 1244 for Media Management Systems [1].
* The Common Information Model (CIM) [2] developed by the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF) [3] and the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) [4].
This paper outlines the main requirements for tape management systems in SAN environments and discusses how these standards address customer requirements.
Managing resources in a SAN
Without storage resource management software or without the explicit use of subsystems that support virtualization of resources to overcome the need for software management of shared hardware resources, any application running on any host may access any storage hardware connected to the same SAN in an uncoordinated manner. Coordinating shared access and enforcing access-control mechanisms for tape media, tape drives, and tape libraries are among the most important problems addressed by media-management software.
Robust storage management capability is commonplace in the mainframe world, where products such as the Computer Associates CA-I** and the IBM DFSMSrmm have provided enterprise-class media-management functionality for years. Now the challenge is to bring this mainframe-class media management to the heterogeneous open-systems world.
Media and drive device sharing
Typical storage networks provide physical access control by using techniques, such as logical unit number (LUN) masking or zoning, that enable, disable, or limit host access to specific hardware resources. Additionally, connections to storage devices may be reserved exclusively for a particular host bus adapter that attaches a host computer to the storage network. Because all applications running on the same host may have shared access to the same connection, all applications may potentially share the same storage-and frequently will contend for it at the most unfavorable time in the most unfavorable way. For block-based disk storage accessed through a file system layer, this might not be a problem. Here, the file system, together with the operating system, takes care of ownership and access rights and maps all of the blocks of data representing a file to physical disk storage. But tape storage is not usually accessed in this manner, especially not in the open-systems world. In a worst-case scenario, one application is used to sequentially write data to a tape, while another application is used to rewind the tape afterwards and, when called upon, overwrite it. Without access control mechanisms, any program is allowed to read data from a tape just because the tape is still mounted in a tape drive
Coyote Point Systems announces strategy to deliver blade server load balancing solutions
Coyote Point Systems, has announced its support for the exploding blade server market by making its award-winning Equalizer(TM) technology available for license to blade server vendors. Coyote Point's Equalizer technology supports the needs of IT departments for near 100 percent uptime, optimal server performance and simplified management, regardless of whether companies deploy traditional server technology or emerging blade solutions.
More and more enterprises are turning to the blade server option as a means to consolidate resources, maximize available real estate in data centers, and simplify overall management of the network. Just as with traditional servers, blade servers can be clustered to deliver fault tolerant redundancy, superior performance and stronger security. By making the award-winning Equalizer technology available to blade server OEMs, Coyote Point will ensure that enterprises have the option of implementing blade servers or traditional servers in their back-end infrastructure.
"Coyote Point's mission is to make intelligent load balancing as easy to use as possible for organizations of any size, whether a Fortune 500 company running dozens of applications over hundreds of servers, or the smallest local ISP that wants to deliver the best possible uptime and performance for customers," said William Kish, founder and CTO of Coyote Point Systems. "Equalizer technology is ideal for optimizing blade server environments because Equalizer quickly and efficiently routes traffic to the servers with the most available capacity, ensuring the system runs at peak performance levels. Blade server vendors now have the option of adding greater value to their solutions by making intelligent load balancing an out-of-the-box option for customers."A blade server can be thought of as a server on a card. These ultra-dense, servers-on-a-card each contain a CPU, memory and networking I/O and slide sideways into a chassis (like books on a shelf) outfitted with power, cooling, network switches and management features shared by all the blades. In turn, groups of these chassis can then be housed in a traditional server rack. IDC, a market research firm based in Framingham, Mass., expects the blade server market to grow from less than $1 billion in sales in 2003 to $6 billion by 2007, comprising about 27 percent of the server market by that time.
More and more enterprises are turning to the blade server option as a means to consolidate resources, maximize available real estate in data centers, and simplify overall management of the network. Just as with traditional servers, blade servers can be clustered to deliver fault tolerant redundancy, superior performance and stronger security. By making the award-winning Equalizer technology available to blade server OEMs, Coyote Point will ensure that enterprises have the option of implementing blade servers or traditional servers in their back-end infrastructure.
"Coyote Point's mission is to make intelligent load balancing as easy to use as possible for organizations of any size, whether a Fortune 500 company running dozens of applications over hundreds of servers, or the smallest local ISP that wants to deliver the best possible uptime and performance for customers," said William Kish, founder and CTO of Coyote Point Systems. "Equalizer technology is ideal for optimizing blade server environments because Equalizer quickly and efficiently routes traffic to the servers with the most available capacity, ensuring the system runs at peak performance levels. Blade server vendors now have the option of adding greater value to their solutions by making intelligent load balancing an out-of-the-box option for customers."A blade server can be thought of as a server on a card. These ultra-dense, servers-on-a-card each contain a CPU, memory and networking I/O and slide sideways into a chassis (like books on a shelf) outfitted with power, cooling, network switches and management features shared by all the blades. In turn, groups of these chassis can then be housed in a traditional server rack. IDC, a market research firm based in Framingham, Mass., expects the blade server market to grow from less than $1 billion in sales in 2003 to $6 billion by 2007, comprising about 27 percent of the server market by that time.
PacketHop, Zensys Make Mesh Networking Advances
A pair of mesh networking companies will take the stage Monday, promising to improve wireless connectivity by shunting wireless connections through multiple access points.
PacketHop Inc. will announce that it has spun off from parent and noted incubator SRI International; in an unrelated announcement, Zensys A/S will disclose a business relationship with Intel Corp. to wire a mesh network into home appliances.
Traditional 802.11 wireless networking links a client to an access point in a direct connection. Wireless providers are working to allow 802.11 users to roam from one access point to another, such as with cellular handsets. In cases where the signal from the client to the access point is blocked, however, a wireless user is often stuck.
Mesh networking, on the other hand, dynamically routes wireless signals in a weblike mesh. Individual devices, which make up the web's wireless weft, automatically calculate their position and dynamically reroute signals to maintain the best connection. Intel has been a public proponent of the technology, showing off early research at its Intel Developer Forum each of the past two years. Check out eWEEK.com's Wireless Center for wireless news, views and analysis.
Coincidentally, PacketHop has targeted a WAN-like approach to mesh networking, while Zensys has chosen more of a LAN-type focus.
PacketHop aims to allow users of 802.11 technology, as well as other radio-based communications, to bounce signals from a number of different points, such as cars, PDAs and other sites. The technology was originally tested and proven at a $50 million R&D trial at SRI, including the "Urban Warrior" connected-soldier initiative by the U.S. military, according to one of the company's founders. Now, the technology will be commercialized by the spinoff.
"We're talking broadband connectivity any time, anywhere for many devices across any number of markets," said Michael Howse, CEO, president and co-founder of PacketHop, and formerly a senior vice president at graphics chip maker 3DFX, later acquired by Nvidia Corp. "We believe this capability has a lot of value."
PacketHop won't manufacture wireless components. Instead, the firm is developing a 500KB embedded software stack that it will license to embedded device makers. The devices themselves will develop their own stand-alone network, centrally monitored and partially controlled by a PacketHop management tool or server, which will be used to integrate multiple meshes and provide centralized network services. Both the client software and centralized tool will launch in the first quarter, Howse said.
PacketHop will be funded by the company's founders, as well as U.S. Venture Partners, the Mayfield Fund and SRI.
Meanwhile, Zensys said it signed an agreement with Intel to develop a universal platform for universal home control. The deal grants Intel warrants to invest in Zensys at a future time if it so chooses.
Zensys' network bridges the gap between home wireless and automated control, using a 908.42GHz RF frequency to squirt 9.6K bps of data throughout the home. Zensys designs ASICs for manufacturers of products like thermostats, burglar alarms and other devices, then networks all of the devices together using an embedded software stack running the company's Z-Wave mesh networking technology. PDAs and other more traditional computing devices can also sit on the network. Zensys' work with Intel is designed to help embed Universal Plug and Play drivers into Z-Wave devices, as well as help to extend Universal Plug and Play to other embedded devices that lack TCP/IP stacks.
Osram Sylvania, a lighting manufacturer, has already agreed to build the technology into some of its lighting systems, according to Frank Homann, founder and executive vice president of Zensys. The company will host an interoperability seminar in Long Beach, Calif., on Nov. 12 with 20 OEMs, he said.
"This is the first reliable technology—it works," Homann said. "Secondly, it is the right price point." ASICs with the Z-Wave technology embedded inside cost $5; second-generation chips, due to enter production in 2005, will be priced at about $1 in volume, he said.
PacketHop Inc. will announce that it has spun off from parent and noted incubator SRI International; in an unrelated announcement, Zensys A/S will disclose a business relationship with Intel Corp. to wire a mesh network into home appliances.
Traditional 802.11 wireless networking links a client to an access point in a direct connection. Wireless providers are working to allow 802.11 users to roam from one access point to another, such as with cellular handsets. In cases where the signal from the client to the access point is blocked, however, a wireless user is often stuck.
Mesh networking, on the other hand, dynamically routes wireless signals in a weblike mesh. Individual devices, which make up the web's wireless weft, automatically calculate their position and dynamically reroute signals to maintain the best connection. Intel has been a public proponent of the technology, showing off early research at its Intel Developer Forum each of the past two years. Check out eWEEK.com's Wireless Center for wireless news, views and analysis.
Coincidentally, PacketHop has targeted a WAN-like approach to mesh networking, while Zensys has chosen more of a LAN-type focus.
PacketHop aims to allow users of 802.11 technology, as well as other radio-based communications, to bounce signals from a number of different points, such as cars, PDAs and other sites. The technology was originally tested and proven at a $50 million R&D trial at SRI, including the "Urban Warrior" connected-soldier initiative by the U.S. military, according to one of the company's founders. Now, the technology will be commercialized by the spinoff.
"We're talking broadband connectivity any time, anywhere for many devices across any number of markets," said Michael Howse, CEO, president and co-founder of PacketHop, and formerly a senior vice president at graphics chip maker 3DFX, later acquired by Nvidia Corp. "We believe this capability has a lot of value."
PacketHop won't manufacture wireless components. Instead, the firm is developing a 500KB embedded software stack that it will license to embedded device makers. The devices themselves will develop their own stand-alone network, centrally monitored and partially controlled by a PacketHop management tool or server, which will be used to integrate multiple meshes and provide centralized network services. Both the client software and centralized tool will launch in the first quarter, Howse said.
PacketHop will be funded by the company's founders, as well as U.S. Venture Partners, the Mayfield Fund and SRI.
Meanwhile, Zensys said it signed an agreement with Intel to develop a universal platform for universal home control. The deal grants Intel warrants to invest in Zensys at a future time if it so chooses.
Zensys' network bridges the gap between home wireless and automated control, using a 908.42GHz RF frequency to squirt 9.6K bps of data throughout the home. Zensys designs ASICs for manufacturers of products like thermostats, burglar alarms and other devices, then networks all of the devices together using an embedded software stack running the company's Z-Wave mesh networking technology. PDAs and other more traditional computing devices can also sit on the network. Zensys' work with Intel is designed to help embed Universal Plug and Play drivers into Z-Wave devices, as well as help to extend Universal Plug and Play to other embedded devices that lack TCP/IP stacks.
Osram Sylvania, a lighting manufacturer, has already agreed to build the technology into some of its lighting systems, according to Frank Homann, founder and executive vice president of Zensys. The company will host an interoperability seminar in Long Beach, Calif., on Nov. 12 with 20 OEMs, he said.
"This is the first reliable technology—it works," Homann said. "Secondly, it is the right price point." ASICs with the Z-Wave technology embedded inside cost $5; second-generation chips, due to enter production in 2005, will be priced at about $1 in volume, he said.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Coyote Point Systems announces strategy to deliver blade server load balancing solutions
Coyote Point Systems, has announced its support for the exploding blade server market by making its award-winning Equalizer(TM) technology available for license to blade server vendors. Coyote Point's Equalizer technology supports the needs of IT departments for near 100 percent uptime, optimal server performance and simplified management, regardless of whether companies deploy traditional server technology or emerging blade solutions.
More and more enterprises are turning to the blade server option as a means to consolidate resources, maximize available real estate in data centers, and simplify overall management of the network. Just as with traditional servers, blade servers can be clustered to deliver fault tolerant redundancy, superior performance and stronger security. By making the award-winning Equalizer technology available to blade server OEMs, Coyote Point will ensure that enterprises have the option of implementing blade servers or traditional servers in their back-end infrastructure.
"Coyote Point's mission is to make intelligent load balancing as easy to use as possible for organizations of any size, whether a Fortune 500 company running dozens of applications over hundreds of servers, or the smallest local ISP that wants to deliver the best possible uptime and performance for customers," said William Kish, founder and CTO of Coyote Point Systems. "Equalizer technology is ideal for optimizing blade server environments because Equalizer quickly and efficiently routes traffic to the servers with the most available capacity, ensuring the system runs at peak performance levels. Blade server vendors now have the option of adding greater value to their solutions by making intelligent load balancing an out-of-the-box option for customers."A blade server can be thought of as a server on a card. These ultra-dense, servers-on-a-card each contain a CPU, memory and networking I/O and slide sideways into a chassis (like books on a shelf) outfitted with power, cooling, network switches and management features shared by all the blades. In turn, groups of these chassis can then be housed in a traditional server rack. IDC, a market research firm based in Framingham, Mass., expects the blade server market to grow from less than $1 billion in sales in 2003 to $6 billion by 2007, comprising about 27 percent of the server market by that time.
More and more enterprises are turning to the blade server option as a means to consolidate resources, maximize available real estate in data centers, and simplify overall management of the network. Just as with traditional servers, blade servers can be clustered to deliver fault tolerant redundancy, superior performance and stronger security. By making the award-winning Equalizer technology available to blade server OEMs, Coyote Point will ensure that enterprises have the option of implementing blade servers or traditional servers in their back-end infrastructure.
"Coyote Point's mission is to make intelligent load balancing as easy to use as possible for organizations of any size, whether a Fortune 500 company running dozens of applications over hundreds of servers, or the smallest local ISP that wants to deliver the best possible uptime and performance for customers," said William Kish, founder and CTO of Coyote Point Systems. "Equalizer technology is ideal for optimizing blade server environments because Equalizer quickly and efficiently routes traffic to the servers with the most available capacity, ensuring the system runs at peak performance levels. Blade server vendors now have the option of adding greater value to their solutions by making intelligent load balancing an out-of-the-box option for customers."A blade server can be thought of as a server on a card. These ultra-dense, servers-on-a-card each contain a CPU, memory and networking I/O and slide sideways into a chassis (like books on a shelf) outfitted with power, cooling, network switches and management features shared by all the blades. In turn, groups of these chassis can then be housed in a traditional server rack. IDC, a market research firm based in Framingham, Mass., expects the blade server market to grow from less than $1 billion in sales in 2003 to $6 billion by 2007, comprising about 27 percent of the server market by that time.
Dell Edges Further Into Networking Market
Dell Computer Corp. has extended its PowerConnect switch line to include two new products for small and midsized businesses.
For small and medium businesses that want to upgrade to Gigabit Ethernet without adding to the complexity of their systems, Dell on Wednesday released the PowerConnect 2508. With eight ports, the 2508 provides traffic aggregation and connectivity for servers and workstations. To connect high-speed desktops, notebooks, workstations or printers to a server or backbone switch, Dell launched the PowerConnect 2124, a 24-port Fast Ethernet switch.
The Austin, Texas, manufacturer champions the switches' ease of use, their plug-and-play capability and an option for redundant power.
The technology group at Colliers International's Seattle office buys all of its PCs, notebook computers and edge servers from Dell, so when Dell leapt into the telecommunications networking arena with a set of managed and unmanaged switches last fall, it made sense for Colliers to try out the computer maker's networking gearBobzien, who has been testing the PowerConnect 3024 in Colliers' Seattle office since September, said he plans to deploy the switch in as many as 10 offices in the western United States and Canada this year. Bobzien said he had tested a switch from a more networking-centric vendor, but the connectivity after installation was not satisfactory.Saturday, November 25, 2006
Enterprise Networks: Year 2000 Problems Are Out There - routers, bridges and other networking hardware devices with embedded operating systems make ne
When certifying their information systems for Year 2000 compliance, many enterprises sometimes overlook crucial, but unseen, components of their IT infrastructure: the hubs, routers and switches that serve as the backbone of mission critical networks. Add to this the fact that leading networking vendors are hedging on their support for older hardware devices, and the potential for trouble Jan. 1, 2000, increases.
Because most routers and switches employ real-time embedded operating systems or embedded date-time functionality, many are as susceptible to Year 2000 problems as visible hardware server systems or software applications. And when the clock rolls over to Jan. 1, 2000, no one can adequately predict how these network devices will behave.
Analysts expect misbehaving routers, switches and hubs to disrupt the execution of time-sensitive network management tools as well as network-centric applications that rely on time-stamping or scheduling.
The problem is further compounded by the policies of major networking players with regard to the problem of "legacy" devices: If they're no longer selling it, these vendors maintain, they're not going to certify it for Y2K.
According to Rob Enderle, a senior analyst at Giga Information Group (www.gigaweb.com), this position on the part of established networking vendors is not surprising.
"It's a case of just not having sufficient resources to go back in and analyze the software and firmware that's on [older] devices and make the necessary corrections," Enderle explains, adding that the typically high turnover rate among the developers employed by these vendors could be a factor as well. "For these devices that are no longer in production, and haven't been in some time, the people who wrote the code are no longer with the company. So the cost to go in and develop the updates with new people is itself probably prohibitive."
Networking giant Cisco Systems Inc. indicates that it will not test products that it won't be selling or supporting after 1999. Nortel Networks' (www.nortelnetworks.com) Year 2000 policy is even more explicit. The company indicates that it will no longer test or certify products for compliance that were manufactured or sold prior to Jan. 1, 1997. 3Com Corp. has discontinued entire product lines as well as specific products within other product lines. None of these discontinued products will be tested or certified for Year 2000 compliance.
While networking vendors have discontinued older products potentially fraught with Year 2000 liabilities en masse, these vendors also maintain that newer products will require only software updates or microcode patches to ensure reliable operation after Jan. 1, 2000. And while vendors are abandoning older systems, they aren't hanging the users of "legacy" network devices out to dry. Most of the big networking players have trade-in or incentive programs to facilitate customer upgrades to newer, Year 2000-compliant routers, switches and hubs.
Friday, November 24, 2006
Information Huawei: networking IC companies on front lines of burgeoning Cisco-Huawei rivalry
A drop-off in networking component sales to Cisco Systems and other North American OEMs has sent their suppliers rushing to China and is helping catapult Huawei to world prominence in networking gear.
The rapid rise of Huawei (pronounced WAH-way) and its bitter rivalry with Cisco have been the talk of the networking industry this summer. Huawei is China's largest telecom and datacom equipment supplier and has recently started shipping overseas, including through a Plano, Texas-based subsidiary called Future Wei. Analysts say Huawei routers are tough to distinguish from Cisco's in quality and performance, and Cisco is furiously trying to stop them.
Working in Huawei's favor is a legion of battered communications IC companies that has spent the last four years intensively developing network processors and optical speed-capable transceivers, framers and content addressable memories for Cisco to buy. But Cisco's once robust purchasing has since slowed to a crawl, triggered by a downturn in the communications market that also hit North American rivals Lucent and Nortel Networks.
That has played squarely into Huawei's hands. The embrace of China's largest networking OEM and the effect its lower prices will have on the world market for routers and other Internet protocol-based communications contracts is very significant, analysts say.The real issue is Huawei poses a very real threat to Cisco," said one top analyst who, like many other analysts and executives, requested anonymity "due to the sensitive nature of this topic."
Semiconductor companies that supply networking OEMs say Huawei's progress and drive to gain share in this market is something to behold.
"Huawei has made very, very strong progress," said Amit Banerjee, director of marketing for AMCC's framer products division. "They've grown up in this sheltered economy, and they are using that to their benefit. They've said, 'Why do we have to sell only in China? We can sell these things all over the world.'"
That's turned out to be unwelcome news at Cisco.
"Those two companies are competing heavily," Banerjee said. "I can tell you for sure there is no love lost there."
Meanwhile, Cisco isn't saying much--publicly, at least. "Cisco has a healthy respect for all of our competitors," said corporate spokeswoman Robyn Jenkins. She declined to comment further.
Executives and analysts familiar with the market and this rivalry believe Cisco currently is lobbying to see the United States put tariffs on Huawei systems. At the very least, Cisco CEO John Chambers seems to have at least one in" with the government. He traveled earlier this month to Crawford, Texas, to be a part of President Bush's media-friendly "economic summit."
"Perhaps Cisco's only trump card would be to get the U.S. government to slap a ridiculously high tariff on Huawei routers," said the analyst who sees Huawei as a real threat to Cisco. "Of course, to do so would hurt just about every American business except Cisco--from the service providers that have to pay outrageous prices to Cisco to the ASSP makers, such as AMCC--that are struggling since Cisco is all about internal development and grabbing every ounce of margin out of their boxes."
Michael Howard, optical networking analyst at Infonetics Research in San Jose, said from what he's seen, Cisco and others have reason to be defensive
The rapid rise of Huawei (pronounced WAH-way) and its bitter rivalry with Cisco have been the talk of the networking industry this summer. Huawei is China's largest telecom and datacom equipment supplier and has recently started shipping overseas, including through a Plano, Texas-based subsidiary called Future Wei. Analysts say Huawei routers are tough to distinguish from Cisco's in quality and performance, and Cisco is furiously trying to stop them.
Working in Huawei's favor is a legion of battered communications IC companies that has spent the last four years intensively developing network processors and optical speed-capable transceivers, framers and content addressable memories for Cisco to buy. But Cisco's once robust purchasing has since slowed to a crawl, triggered by a downturn in the communications market that also hit North American rivals Lucent and Nortel Networks.
That has played squarely into Huawei's hands. The embrace of China's largest networking OEM and the effect its lower prices will have on the world market for routers and other Internet protocol-based communications contracts is very significant, analysts say.The real issue is Huawei poses a very real threat to Cisco," said one top analyst who, like many other analysts and executives, requested anonymity "due to the sensitive nature of this topic."
Semiconductor companies that supply networking OEMs say Huawei's progress and drive to gain share in this market is something to behold.
"Huawei has made very, very strong progress," said Amit Banerjee, director of marketing for AMCC's framer products division. "They've grown up in this sheltered economy, and they are using that to their benefit. They've said, 'Why do we have to sell only in China? We can sell these things all over the world.'"
That's turned out to be unwelcome news at Cisco.
"Those two companies are competing heavily," Banerjee said. "I can tell you for sure there is no love lost there."
Meanwhile, Cisco isn't saying much--publicly, at least. "Cisco has a healthy respect for all of our competitors," said corporate spokeswoman Robyn Jenkins. She declined to comment further.
Executives and analysts familiar with the market and this rivalry believe Cisco currently is lobbying to see the United States put tariffs on Huawei systems. At the very least, Cisco CEO John Chambers seems to have at least one in" with the government. He traveled earlier this month to Crawford, Texas, to be a part of President Bush's media-friendly "economic summit."
"Perhaps Cisco's only trump card would be to get the U.S. government to slap a ridiculously high tariff on Huawei routers," said the analyst who sees Huawei as a real threat to Cisco. "Of course, to do so would hurt just about every American business except Cisco--from the service providers that have to pay outrageous prices to Cisco to the ASSP makers, such as AMCC--that are struggling since Cisco is all about internal development and grabbing every ounce of margin out of their boxes."
Michael Howard, optical networking analyst at Infonetics Research in San Jose, said from what he's seen, Cisco and others have reason to be defensive
Bioreactor Control System has configurable architecture
Powered by DeltaV Controller, TruBio features embedded PI Enterprise Server with PI Historian, PI Datalink, PI Process Book, PI Batch, and OPC-HDA for data management. TruBio OS Bioreactor Control Operating System provides embedded configurable control logic for various parameters as well as control required for cell culture and fermentation applications. TruLogic controller supports analog and digital solutions and can control up to 6 bioreactors and/or fermentors per controller.
********************
SANTA CLARA, Calif., June 1 -- Finesse, LLC, Santa Clara, CA, a manufacturer of measurement and control solutions for life science process applications, has announced the TruBio -- Bioreactor Control System, the first truly "open" configurable Bioreactor Control System. TruBio is powered by a DeltaV Controller from Emerson Process Management and includes an embedded PI Enterprise Server complete with PI Historian, PI Datalink, PI Process Book, PI Batch and OPC-HDA for data management. The design of the TruBio System consists of two distinct componentshe TruBio OS -- Bioreactor Control Operating System -- is the first "open" configurable software solution developed specifically for the life science industry, and suitable for new as well as existing installations. The embedded configurable control logic for pH, Dissolved Oxygen, Temperature, Pressure, Flow, Level, Foam, Agitation, Weight and a host of other parameters provides the control required for both cell culture and fermentation applications. TruBio OS is designed to enable OEM's, system integrators, engineering firms and end users alike to quickly customize the control system to meet their individual application requirements. "TruBio's 'open' configurable design has the power to compress project schedules and reduce engineering costs while still facilitating customization, and provide a unified platform for plantwide control. The advent of a control system like TruBio has been much needed in the life science industry, as competitive and regulatory pressures continually increase," says Larry West, Exec. V.P. of Sales and Marketing at Finesse. "Our industry has needed a product that steps out of the box to give them hardware independence and as such, the freedom to utilize preferred best in class suppliers for their process measurement and control solutions. The TruBio Operating System delivers on the promise of scalability from R&D to Process Development and into ManufacturingThursday, November 23, 2006
MEMS Staking Claim in Optical Networking - Industry Trend or Event
IN LIGHT OF LAYOFFS, FUNDING CALAMITIES, scaled-back business plans and other setbacks recently among microelectromechanical device (MEMS) manufacturers that target the optical networking market, one can't help but wonder, is MEMS technology an oasis or a mirage for the telecommunications industry? The answer appears to be oasis, with perhaps some brown edges.
After a frenzied few years of telecom carriers laying fiber optic cable in many areas, increasingly advanced components will be needed to get the most out of those considerable investments. MEMS will likely play a key role (primarily in the form of switches); as a result, sales of MEMS for use in optical networking will rise from $82 million in 2001 to $2.1 billion in 2005.
This upbeat forecast doesn't mean that the current slowdown hasn't hurt MEMS makers targeting the telecom segment, or that there aren't other hurdles to overcome. But, while MEMS manufacturers have been affected by this year's telecom meltdown-nearly 150,000 employees in the optical networking sector have lost their jobs to date-they haven't suffered as badly as the telecom providers and equipment makers themselvesVenture capitalists are still pumping significant levels of equity into MEMS firms, customers remain strongly interested in the technology, and MEMS companies continue to ramp up production. VCs, in fact, have pumped more money into MEMS companies in the first half of 2001 ($487.5 million) than they did during all of 2000 ($259 million).
More significantly, new applications for MEMS in optical networking have come to the fore. Barely registering on the radar just nine months ago, MEMS-based variable optical attenuators, tunable filters, and tunable lasers have expanded the market beyond switches. This will provide additional momentum for revenues within the telecom sector.
While the primary focus of these MEMS components continues to be the backbone (long haul and ultra-long haul) and the MAN, companies are now beginning to take a look at the LAN as a real market opportunity. While these applications hold much promise, MEMS does face significant competition from other technologies, including liquid crystal, holographics and planar waveguide-based solutions.
Competition will be intense within the MEMS market as well. At least four dozen companies, primarily based in the United States, are involved in the optical networking space, and their ranks are growing. In addition, more European companies are emerging, and several Israeli companies have recently taken a higher profile. However, at this point, who will remain in the field as the market evolves is anyone's guess.
For the most part, customers are currently evaluating MEMS solutions and taking a bit of a wait-and-see approach to adopting it. Certainly, current market conditions are playing a role in dampening any kind of significant capital expenditure right now.
Cahners In-Stat Group expects to see some market movement in the fourth quarter of 2001, with increased momentum in early 2002. While the telecom market likely won't boom like it did for the past several years, smaller segments such as the MAN may experience rapid growth. That's good news for MEMS companies. In fact, some MEMS industry insiders believe telecom demand over the next several years will be bigger than many current projections. In-Stat agrees, though our forecast remains somewhat conservative due to the many uncertainties in this market.
Networking 101 - Technology Information - Tutorial
These books and Web resources make connecting your home a snap
NEED TO MAKE YOUR PCS, PRINTERS, AND other peripherals communicate with each other? Make the connection with Networking Home PCs for Dummies by Kathy Ivens ($25; IDG Books Worldwide). The book gives you the information you need to set up a home network, from installing a traditional Ethernet LAN to a newfangled wireless one; it's also packed with valuable advice--such as scheduling regular backups and setting up security protocols--and useful network maintenance tips.
And should you tire of perusing the hard copy, simply pop in the included CD-ROM. Still not convinced a network is right for you? Check out Chapter 18, entitled, "Ten Good Reasons to Set Up a Home PC Network."
Sharing an Internet connection, files, and peripherals has never been easier, thanks to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Networking Your Home by Mark D. Thompson and Mark Speaker ($17; Que). Advanced technical knowledge is not a prerequisite, and there's not a bit of jargon or unfamiliar techno-talk--just the simple facts In addition to home networking basics, Thompson and Speaker provide a section devoted to entertainment options that'll show you how to connect your television and stereo to the network for hours of multiplayer excitement. The authors also provide a multimedia crash course on MP3, RealPlayer, and Microsoft Media Player.
A bit of computer jargon under your belt makes Wayne Kawamoto's Build, Upgrade, and Repair Your PC Network on a Shoestring Budget ($30; The Coriolis Group) a much easier read. In return, you'll benefit from Kawamoto's detailed explanations of network cabling, hubs, and interface technologies such as 10BaseT.
The author also shows you how to get the best deals on networking hardware, cabling, software, and accessories. His upgrade information and maintenance suggestions will keep your network humming.
You know a network eliminates many everyday headaches of running a home office--but there are tons of valuable tips and tricks you have yet to discover. Erik Sherman's Home Networking! I Didn't Know You Could Do That ($20; Sybex Inc.) shows you how to extend your network's usefulness. You'll learn how to connect to the Internet at higher speeds, create a Web server for your home office, set up an intercom system, videoconference with clients, and create a business voice-mail system.
These hints go beyond the home office and into the home: You'll learn about home automation, including how to create a kitchen network center as well as a network reading center for the entire family.
If you're looking for plain-English information on how to connect your computers and peripherals, pick up a copy of The Complete Guide to Networking Your Home Computers by Gregg Ramsay and Lisa Rogak ($25; Williams Hill Publishing). Don't know the difference between a peer-to-peer and client/server network? Don't worry; the guide will have you up to speed in no time
NEED TO MAKE YOUR PCS, PRINTERS, AND other peripherals communicate with each other? Make the connection with Networking Home PCs for Dummies by Kathy Ivens ($25; IDG Books Worldwide). The book gives you the information you need to set up a home network, from installing a traditional Ethernet LAN to a newfangled wireless one; it's also packed with valuable advice--such as scheduling regular backups and setting up security protocols--and useful network maintenance tips.
And should you tire of perusing the hard copy, simply pop in the included CD-ROM. Still not convinced a network is right for you? Check out Chapter 18, entitled, "Ten Good Reasons to Set Up a Home PC Network."
Sharing an Internet connection, files, and peripherals has never been easier, thanks to The Complete Idiot's Guide to Networking Your Home by Mark D. Thompson and Mark Speaker ($17; Que). Advanced technical knowledge is not a prerequisite, and there's not a bit of jargon or unfamiliar techno-talk--just the simple facts In addition to home networking basics, Thompson and Speaker provide a section devoted to entertainment options that'll show you how to connect your television and stereo to the network for hours of multiplayer excitement. The authors also provide a multimedia crash course on MP3, RealPlayer, and Microsoft Media Player.
A bit of computer jargon under your belt makes Wayne Kawamoto's Build, Upgrade, and Repair Your PC Network on a Shoestring Budget ($30; The Coriolis Group) a much easier read. In return, you'll benefit from Kawamoto's detailed explanations of network cabling, hubs, and interface technologies such as 10BaseT.
The author also shows you how to get the best deals on networking hardware, cabling, software, and accessories. His upgrade information and maintenance suggestions will keep your network humming.
You know a network eliminates many everyday headaches of running a home office--but there are tons of valuable tips and tricks you have yet to discover. Erik Sherman's Home Networking! I Didn't Know You Could Do That ($20; Sybex Inc.) shows you how to extend your network's usefulness. You'll learn how to connect to the Internet at higher speeds, create a Web server for your home office, set up an intercom system, videoconference with clients, and create a business voice-mail system.
These hints go beyond the home office and into the home: You'll learn about home automation, including how to create a kitchen network center as well as a network reading center for the entire family.
If you're looking for plain-English information on how to connect your computers and peripherals, pick up a copy of The Complete Guide to Networking Your Home Computers by Gregg Ramsay and Lisa Rogak ($25; Williams Hill Publishing). Don't know the difference between a peer-to-peer and client/server network? Don't worry; the guide will have you up to speed in no time
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Tech Outlook 2004: A Look Ahead at Networking
The SSL VPN market took a quantum leap toward market acceptance this year, as established security and networking companies trampled one another in a race to purchase startup technology while others developed their own approaches in-house.
Next year, we will begin to see the fruits of these acquisitions, as NetScreen Technologies Inc., Symantec Corp. and F5 Networks Inc. integrate the technology into their existing product lines. We anticipate initial offerings to launch as stand-alone appliances, bringing extensive network application support to the table via thin-client ActiveX or Java plug-ins.
These appliances will come with their own management interfaces, but we expect each company to eventually integrate the devices into their respective enterprise management applications.
Meanwhile, the two 800-pound gorillas in the encrypted remote access space—Cisco Systems Inc. and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.—look like they will take similarly reserved approaches, complementing their IP Security solutions with SSL-based functionality focused on securing clientless applications (such as Web, e-mail and file sharing)Next page: Networking Software Although patch management, vulnerability assessment and intrusion detection products gained a high profile in 2003, the evolution and maturation of tried-and-true management tools still garnered much attention.
This will likely go on in the coming year, when it seems that management platforms will continue to integrate hardware and software inventory, infrastructure management and software distribution tools.
The huge number of security exploits this year led to an unprecedented use of and demand for patching software. It also led to immeasurable frustration for IT managers, as patching a system often seemed to cause more problems than it solved.
The number of patch management systems available may actually decrease next year as patch management becomes integrated with software distribution systems.
We will also probably see more research going in to patch testing—which would generate a set of possible side effects.
Next year, we will begin to see the fruits of these acquisitions, as NetScreen Technologies Inc., Symantec Corp. and F5 Networks Inc. integrate the technology into their existing product lines. We anticipate initial offerings to launch as stand-alone appliances, bringing extensive network application support to the table via thin-client ActiveX or Java plug-ins.
These appliances will come with their own management interfaces, but we expect each company to eventually integrate the devices into their respective enterprise management applications.
Meanwhile, the two 800-pound gorillas in the encrypted remote access space—Cisco Systems Inc. and Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.—look like they will take similarly reserved approaches, complementing their IP Security solutions with SSL-based functionality focused on securing clientless applications (such as Web, e-mail and file sharing)Next page: Networking Software Although patch management, vulnerability assessment and intrusion detection products gained a high profile in 2003, the evolution and maturation of tried-and-true management tools still garnered much attention.
This will likely go on in the coming year, when it seems that management platforms will continue to integrate hardware and software inventory, infrastructure management and software distribution tools.
The huge number of security exploits this year led to an unprecedented use of and demand for patching software. It also led to immeasurable frustration for IT managers, as patching a system often seemed to cause more problems than it solved.
The number of patch management systems available may actually decrease next year as patch management becomes integrated with software distribution systems.
We will also probably see more research going in to patch testing—which would generate a set of possible side effects.
Lucent's optical networking products granted `RUS acceptance' status
Lucent Technologies (NYSE:LU) has announced that two of its advanced optical networking systems have gained "RUS Acceptance" status from the Rural Utilities Service branch of the United States Department of Agriculture.
This acceptance will enable third-party resellers and suppliers in the Lucent Advantage BusinessPartner program to sell optical networking systems to thousands of RUS-funded service providers.
"Lucent's advanced optical networking systems help customers lower the cost of deploying and operating networks," said Tim Sullivan, president, Optical Networking, Lucent Technologies. "This RUS acceptance will allow Lucent BusinessPartners to sell our products into a new and emerging market."
The USDA granted the "RUS Acceptance" status to the Lucent Metropolis DMX Access Multiplexer and WaveStar TDM 2.5/10G. This status permits rural utility service providers that deploy these products to qualify for governmental financial assistance.
"In order for Lucent BusinessPartners to sell Lucent products to RUS-funded service providers, the products need to be listed on the government's RUS schedule of product authorizations," said Mary P. Bowen, president, Madison Group, a Lucent Advantage BusinessPartner. "This acceptance will enable Lucent to provide rural customers with technologically advanced products and give those customers the ability to apply for RUS fundingMetropolis DMX, which is part of Lucent's Metropolis portfolio of metro optical networking products, has been deployed with more than 35 customers and recently received the "Best Telecom Equipment" award at UTC Telecom 2002, the world's largest utility telecom technology tradeshow. It provides next-generation SONET capabilities and serves as an integrated Ethernet over SONET metro access multiplexer that enables service providers to cost-effectively migrate from existing TDM (time-division multiplexed) networks to data-aware packet networks. Providing a solid foundation for future bandwidth and service growth, the Metropolis DMX offers scalable service growth with interfaces from DS-1 to OC-192, including 10/100 and Gigabit Ethernet, on a single compact platform.
The WaveStar TDM 2.5/10G is a multi-service self-healing SONET transport network product that enables service providers to deliver optical services at rates of up to 10 gigabits per second per wavelength and support current services as well as new applications through a scalable and flexible system. A 10 Gb/s line rate is capable of transmitting up to 2 million one-page emails or 130,000 simultaneous phone calls per second. The system is a mature and a stable platform with over 5000 systems deployed in SONET networks globally. Developed by Lucent's Bell Labs, the system also helps reduce operating expenses through advanced self-healing networks, network management capabilities and superior carrier grade reliability.
Lucent Technologies, headquartered in Murray Hill, N.J., USA, designs and delivers networks for the world's largest communications service providers. Backed by Bell Labs research and development, Lucent relies on its strengths in mobility, optical, data and voice networking technologies as well as software and services to develop next-generation networks. The company's systems, services and software are designed to help customers quickly deploy and better manage their networks and create new, revenue-generating services that help businesses and consumersTuesday, November 21, 2006
Hardware beats out software for top honors - Storage Networking
Replication, mirroring and snapshots have always copied disk to disk, but companies are using disk for regular backups as well. IT likes the speed, performance and availability of disk.
Disk and tape hybrids: Tape libraries are still very much in the picture, and are responding to disk-to-disk's speed by presenting tape library back-ends with fast disk cache front-ends.
Intelligent switches: Switches are getting a lot smarter, and so-called backbone switches might take over a majority of SAN processing. Intelligent switches are important in both Fibre Channel and iSCSI storage networking environments.
iSCSI storage: IP-based storage networks are getting more popular, serving smaller companies and niches than Fibre Channel but showing great promise.
SMI-S: The standard-known-as-Bluefin bloomed under SNIA's care. Part of the larger CIM/WBEM initiative, vendors hope it will help to integrate multiple-vendor storage networks.
SAN Consolidation
Consolidation is busting out all over. Scott Drummond, program director of storage networking at IBM said, "We're seeing a tremendous amount of storage consolidation happening. And the area we're attacking most aggressively, because we've already got consolidation in the UNIX space, is Windows and NT servers." Consolidation can be physical and logical--physical consolidation into large data centers and arrays, or logical connections between remote SANs using centralized management software.
IT departments consolidate SANs to decrease management overhead and to eliminate numerous smaller servers with long backup windows. Newer storage devices also have high availability standard features such as multiple global hot spare drives and robust power redundancy features, and present great value for the money in centralized systems.
NAS and SAN Convergence
NAS and SAN are quite different technologies, and there is no approach that offers file and block-based data sharing across multi-vendor storage networks. However, vendors have still managed to come close by putting NAS gateways in front of the SAN and using SAN filers.
NAS heads and gateways are popular integration technologies. They allow NAS filers to sit at the edge of the SAN and share storage space. This leverages NAS value by expanding its storage options, and leverages SAN value by giving SAN users a file-based storage option. SAN filers offer similar advantages by offering file serving within the high-speed storage network. For example, EMC's Highroad runs on Celerra, intercepting file requests and passing them on to the Symmetrix. No one has a universal file system yet--SAN file system technology tends to be limited to proprietary devices, since it is a huge challenge to share block level and file level data. But global SAN file system technology is promising, since it would enable SANs to serve single pools of block and file data, using both NIFS and CFS across multiple OS's, in heterogeneous systems.
NAS is also getting better at hosting block-based data, meaning IT can safely use qualifying NAS as database storage. IT has been using NAS for data-base storage for years--it can certainly be done--the question is how reliably? The problem has been NAS' inability to directly access block-level data on SCSI-attached devices or Fibre Channel SANs. (NAS can still serve block data, but must route the connection through a file system.) Many database applications and data types don't expect or appreciate the routing and may have an unacceptable error rate. This is now changing with new NAS technologies that can bypass its own file system.
New CIR report details key component trends and opportunities for 10-Gbps networking technologies - Market Intelligence
The market for 10-Gbps electronic and optical components and modules will grow to $856 million by 2008, according to a new report from CIR, a telecommunications and semiconductor industry analyst firm based here. Highlights from the report include the following:
--Average annual growth rate for the 10-Gbps sector will be around 16 percent for the 2004 to 2008 period. This is a considerable improvement on the 8 percent expected for the 2002-to-2004 period.
--Components and technology innovations are now the primary source of cost, performance and functionality advantage for 10-Gbps equipment vendors. These are most likely to stem from improved packaging, better power consumption and thermal control, as well as enhanced manufacturing processes.
--Components manufacturers that can demonstrate how their products will enable 10-Gbps networks to have clear cost advantages over networks based on multiple lower-rate lines will quickly gain better margins and market share. Networking technologies have not usually taken off until they demonstrate about ten times the performance of the next lowest speed technology for about one-third the cost. 10-Gbps technologies have not yet achieved this. Component manufacturers making this kind of leap forward will attract considerable profits to themselvesIntegration can be a differentiating feature and help hold down costs, but they must be oriented towards market needs. With integrated modules there is a danger that the customer will incorporate the same functionality twice and actually force up costs. Also, customers have not usually bought processors and (say) framers/mappers from the same company, so where processing power is integrated into transmission electronics, component selection becomes a much bigger decision for the customer, complicating the marketing and sales process for the chipmaker.
--By 2008, WDM-related optics and electronics will represent almost two-thirds of the 10-Gbps market. This is due to the fact that WDM systems are more likely to operate at 10 Gbps than SONET/SDH or Ethernet systems and that some of the optics for WDM systems remain quite expensive.
The report titled The Market At 10 GBPS: A Value Chain Analysis provides a complete five-year forecast of the 10-Gbps value chain, beginning with systems and continuing down through to the associated optical and electronic modules and components. Technologies covered within the report include SONET/SDH, WDM, Ethernet, ATM, Packet-over-SONET (POS) and Fibre Channel. Component and subsystems products covered in detail include active optics (transponders,
--Average annual growth rate for the 10-Gbps sector will be around 16 percent for the 2004 to 2008 period. This is a considerable improvement on the 8 percent expected for the 2002-to-2004 period.
--Components and technology innovations are now the primary source of cost, performance and functionality advantage for 10-Gbps equipment vendors. These are most likely to stem from improved packaging, better power consumption and thermal control, as well as enhanced manufacturing processes.
--Components manufacturers that can demonstrate how their products will enable 10-Gbps networks to have clear cost advantages over networks based on multiple lower-rate lines will quickly gain better margins and market share. Networking technologies have not usually taken off until they demonstrate about ten times the performance of the next lowest speed technology for about one-third the cost. 10-Gbps technologies have not yet achieved this. Component manufacturers making this kind of leap forward will attract considerable profits to themselvesIntegration can be a differentiating feature and help hold down costs, but they must be oriented towards market needs. With integrated modules there is a danger that the customer will incorporate the same functionality twice and actually force up costs. Also, customers have not usually bought processors and (say) framers/mappers from the same company, so where processing power is integrated into transmission electronics, component selection becomes a much bigger decision for the customer, complicating the marketing and sales process for the chipmaker.
--By 2008, WDM-related optics and electronics will represent almost two-thirds of the 10-Gbps market. This is due to the fact that WDM systems are more likely to operate at 10 Gbps than SONET/SDH or Ethernet systems and that some of the optics for WDM systems remain quite expensive.
The report titled The Market At 10 GBPS: A Value Chain Analysis provides a complete five-year forecast of the 10-Gbps value chain, beginning with systems and continuing down through to the associated optical and electronic modules and components. Technologies covered within the report include SONET/SDH, WDM, Ethernet, ATM, Packet-over-SONET (POS) and Fibre Channel. Component and subsystems products covered in detail include active optics (transponders,
Monday, November 20, 2006
Everything starts with the order: as customer demands for responsiveness increase, supply chains strain to synchronize orders across multiple channels
When Lamps Plus expanded its business onto the Web four years ago, the company's order volume grew along with revenues. With combined inventory for store and Internet business, the 1,500-employee specialty lamp merchant had to incorporate and manage order activity from its Internet site and more than 40 retail stores.
"Suddenly, we were big into the Internet business," says Bill Gratke, planning and supply chain management director with Lamps Plus in Chatsworth, Calif. "Now that we're competing with the big boys, we had to figure out how to ship quicker and integrate [Web and retail] ordering."
Lucent Technologies in Murray Hill, N.J., is one of the big boys, but the $8.5 billion communications and networking technologies corporation faced similar customer-fulfillment issues. The company needed to synchronize a complex, six-continent network of disparate enterprise business systems and supply chains with an order management solution that would help it slash $8 billion in inventory while boosting order fulfillment accuracy.
Despite that need, synchronized order management remains a thorny challenge for supply chain managers. They must maintain consistent order management processes throughout disparate internal and external systems and channels. Business partners' remote and dissimilar structures are also crucial pieces of the puzzle Supporting multiple channels offers companies a slew of benefits, but managing orders across untethered systems and processes is hardly simple, especially as customers increase their demands for enhanced responsiveness. The Web has also added a layer of complexity.
Successful companies must let customers order products anywhere they sell them and "fulfill orders as promised from anywhere," says a recent white paper titled Satisfying Customer Expectations: Succeeding in the Multi-Channel Retail World from Yantra Corp., a fulfillment software vendor in Tewksbury, Mass.
Yantra's report notes that companies' channels frequently offer diverse prices, inventory, promotions, and policies. Customers, however, demand the ability to order products online and return them to stores or to browse in stores and buy online.
Gratke, with Lamps Plus, is well aware of his firm's need for an orchestrated order management approach. The company fulfills orders through stores, the Web, and in-store kiosks, all of which link to the firm's Order Fulfillment software from Escalate Inc. Order Fulfillment automates the company's direct-to-customer fulfillment process for all e-commerce orders, which now represent 10% of total business, says Gratke.
Escalate's software augments the retailer's legacy inventory management system, which can't process direct-to-customer orders. Order Fulfillment, which Escalate hosts on an Oracle Corp. database, plugs into the existing Lamps Plus inventory system. It also integrates with major parcel carriers, a feature that provides delivery options to Lamps Plus customers.
The integrated approach to order management is critical for Gratke's firm, which expects to triple its volume of online orders. Lamps Plus recently began selling products and taking orders via Amazon Marketplace. Amazon.com's marketplace lets third parties hawk items on its Web site. That business and new e-commerce sites to serve builders, architects, and interior designers should boost Web orders dramatically, says Gratke.
Order Fulfillment manages all Lamps Plus e-commerce orders for packing, labeling, shipping, and shipment tracking. The company aims eventually to process all shipments from store, catalog, and e-commerce channels through a centralized order management process.
"Suddenly, we were big into the Internet business," says Bill Gratke, planning and supply chain management director with Lamps Plus in Chatsworth, Calif. "Now that we're competing with the big boys, we had to figure out how to ship quicker and integrate [Web and retail] ordering."
Lucent Technologies in Murray Hill, N.J., is one of the big boys, but the $8.5 billion communications and networking technologies corporation faced similar customer-fulfillment issues. The company needed to synchronize a complex, six-continent network of disparate enterprise business systems and supply chains with an order management solution that would help it slash $8 billion in inventory while boosting order fulfillment accuracy.
Despite that need, synchronized order management remains a thorny challenge for supply chain managers. They must maintain consistent order management processes throughout disparate internal and external systems and channels. Business partners' remote and dissimilar structures are also crucial pieces of the puzzle Supporting multiple channels offers companies a slew of benefits, but managing orders across untethered systems and processes is hardly simple, especially as customers increase their demands for enhanced responsiveness. The Web has also added a layer of complexity.
Successful companies must let customers order products anywhere they sell them and "fulfill orders as promised from anywhere," says a recent white paper titled Satisfying Customer Expectations: Succeeding in the Multi-Channel Retail World from Yantra Corp., a fulfillment software vendor in Tewksbury, Mass.
Yantra's report notes that companies' channels frequently offer diverse prices, inventory, promotions, and policies. Customers, however, demand the ability to order products online and return them to stores or to browse in stores and buy online.
Gratke, with Lamps Plus, is well aware of his firm's need for an orchestrated order management approach. The company fulfills orders through stores, the Web, and in-store kiosks, all of which link to the firm's Order Fulfillment software from Escalate Inc. Order Fulfillment automates the company's direct-to-customer fulfillment process for all e-commerce orders, which now represent 10% of total business, says Gratke.
Escalate's software augments the retailer's legacy inventory management system, which can't process direct-to-customer orders. Order Fulfillment, which Escalate hosts on an Oracle Corp. database, plugs into the existing Lamps Plus inventory system. It also integrates with major parcel carriers, a feature that provides delivery options to Lamps Plus customers.
The integrated approach to order management is critical for Gratke's firm, which expects to triple its volume of online orders. Lamps Plus recently began selling products and taking orders via Amazon Marketplace. Amazon.com's marketplace lets third parties hawk items on its Web site. That business and new e-commerce sites to serve builders, architects, and interior designers should boost Web orders dramatically, says Gratke.
Order Fulfillment manages all Lamps Plus e-commerce orders for packing, labeling, shipping, and shipment tracking. The company aims eventually to process all shipments from store, catalog, and e-commerce channels through a centralized order management process.
50 most powerful people in networking, The
One of the secrets of power is knowing how to live well in the limelight. Like it or not, power obliges a person to be a role model. This twists itself into notoriety for some and celebrity status for others.
As always, our list represents the role models of the network industry across the vendor, user and regulatory communities, as well as among standards setters and big thinkers. But this year, the list is ranked, too.
For the ranking, we looked at numerous criteria, including the person's title and responsibility within the company, the person's visibility (determined by media and speaking appearances in the last year), the ways in which the person functions as a role model for the network industry and a characteristic we call "clout." Clout is how far a person's overall influence reaches, be that throughout a company a subset of the network community the industry the entire business world or even with national governmentsWhat more needs to be said about the man who readers have elected as the most powerful vendor CEO in the industry for four years running? (See story page 58.) With his unfailing business acumen, he remains among the industry's and the business world's most-watched icons.
2. Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect, Microsoft
Gates delivered his 20th annual Comdex keynote last month, and while the influence of the annual Las Vegas trade show might be waning, Gates' is not. He is arguably the most influential figure in the software industry at the helm of a $32 billion company with a $6.8 billion research and development budget. Sharing his vision of "seamless computing," Gates proclaimed: "There's more productivity to be gained in the advances that will come in the rest of this decade than the industry has delivered in our entire history up to this date."
As always, our list represents the role models of the network industry across the vendor, user and regulatory communities, as well as among standards setters and big thinkers. But this year, the list is ranked, too.
For the ranking, we looked at numerous criteria, including the person's title and responsibility within the company, the person's visibility (determined by media and speaking appearances in the last year), the ways in which the person functions as a role model for the network industry and a characteristic we call "clout." Clout is how far a person's overall influence reaches, be that throughout a company a subset of the network community the industry the entire business world or even with national governmentsWhat more needs to be said about the man who readers have elected as the most powerful vendor CEO in the industry for four years running? (See story page 58.) With his unfailing business acumen, he remains among the industry's and the business world's most-watched icons.
2. Bill Gates, chairman and chief software architect, Microsoft
Gates delivered his 20th annual Comdex keynote last month, and while the influence of the annual Las Vegas trade show might be waning, Gates' is not. He is arguably the most influential figure in the software industry at the helm of a $32 billion company with a $6.8 billion research and development budget. Sharing his vision of "seamless computing," Gates proclaimed: "There's more productivity to be gained in the advances that will come in the rest of this decade than the industry has delivered in our entire history up to this date."
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Coyote Point Systems announces strategy to deliver blade server load balancing solutions
Coyote Point Systems, has announced its support for the exploding blade server market by making its award-winning Equalizer(TM) technology available for license to blade server vendors. Coyote Point's Equalizer technology supports the needs of IT departments for near 100 percent uptime, optimal server performance and simplified management, regardless of whether companies deploy traditional server technology or emerging blade solutions.
More and more enterprises are turning to the blade server option as a means to consolidate resources, maximize available real estate in data centers, and simplify overall management of the network. Just as with traditional servers, blade servers can be clustered to deliver fault tolerant redundancy, superior performance and stronger security. By making the award-winning Equalizer technology available to blade server OEMs, Coyote Point will ensure that enterprises have the option of implementing blade servers or traditional servers in their back-end infrastructure.
"Coyote Point's mission is to make intelligent load balancing as easy to use as possible for organizations of any size, whether a Fortune 500 company running dozens of applications over hundreds of servers, or the smallest local ISP that wants to deliver the best possible uptime and performance for customers," said William Kish, founder and CTO of Coyote Point Systems. "Equalizer technology is ideal for optimizing blade server environments because Equalizer quickly and efficiently routes traffic to the servers with the most available capacity, ensuring the system runs at peak performance levels. Blade server vendors now have the option of adding greater value to their solutions by making intelligent load balancing an out-of-the-box option for customers10 most powerful companies in networking, The
Industry-shaping technology visions, strong financials and market domination these network vendors stand out among all others. We rank them, 1 to 10.
1. CISCO: INFRASTRUCTURE MIGHT, NETWORK INDUSTRY BELLWETHER
Biggest announcement in 2003: True 10G switch. In April, Cisco released the Supervisory Engine 720, a module for the Catalyst 6500 family that brings these switches truelOG bit/sec performance. Before this.SG was the max.
Financial track record:
Q1 FY '04 net income of $1.1 billion.
Q4 FY '03 net income of $991 million.
Q3 FY '03 net income of $987 million.
Q2 FY '03 net income of $982 million.
Power of numbers: No. 1 worldwide in Ethernet switching and enterprise/service provider routers. No. 14 on the Network World 200 (NW200),our annual list of the top 200 network vendors (www.nwfusion.com, DocFinder: 9035).
What's on tap for 2004? Cisco will aggressively pursue the next billion-dollar infrastructure markets - storage, security and IP telephony - via internal development and technology acquisition.
1. CISCO: INFRASTRUCTURE MIGHT, NETWORK INDUSTRY BELLWETHER
Biggest announcement in 2003: True 10G switch. In April, Cisco released the Supervisory Engine 720, a module for the Catalyst 6500 family that brings these switches truelOG bit/sec performance. Before this.SG was the max.
Financial track record:
Q1 FY '04 net income of $1.1 billion.
Q4 FY '03 net income of $991 million.
Q3 FY '03 net income of $987 million.
Q2 FY '03 net income of $982 million.
Power of numbers: No. 1 worldwide in Ethernet switching and enterprise/service provider routers. No. 14 on the Network World 200 (NW200),our annual list of the top 200 network vendors (www.nwfusion.com, DocFinder: 9035).
What's on tap for 2004? Cisco will aggressively pursue the next billion-dollar infrastructure markets - storage, security and IP telephony - via internal development and technology acquisition.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Bharti Infotel and Cisco systems to empower enterprise networks
Bharti Infotel Ltd., India's leading provider of access, long distance, data, and corporate solutions announced that it is working with Cisco on the technology for state-of-the-art services and solutions for its enterprise and corporate customers. Bharti Infotel has deployed a Cisco IP-based MPLS backbone solution based on the Cisco 12000, 10000, 7300, and 7200 Series Routers and Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series Switches. Cisco is a pioneer and global leader in MPLS-based technology and networking solutions.
MPLS is a next generation networking technology that combines high-speed performance with security, scalability, and reliability. It also helps in the provisioning of several revenue-generating services such as bandwidth on demand, managed services, and intelligent routing of voice, data, and other mission-critical traffic. The deployment of MPLS is in keeping with Bharti Infotel's strategy to further consolidate its leadership in the data and broadband market, where the company has a market share of nearly 50 percent. With a DWDM-based high-capacity fiber backbone, cable landing facilities for international bandwidth, and now an MPLS backbone, Bharti Infotel offers a unique value proposition for its customers.
The Data and Broadband group of Bharti Infotel will be marketing these new revenue-generating services to enterprises, corporations, and other service providers, and is targeting revenues in excess of Rs100 crore (US$22 million) this fiscal year from the sale of capacities using IP-based MPLS technology. With reduced cost of ownership for corporations and enterprises, Bharti expects more and more of them to connect their offices, vendors, partners, and customers through the MPLS backbone, thereby increasing the overall market size for MPLS VPNs. The Data and Broadband group currently has the top-500 corporations in the country as its customers, including corporations in the BPO (business process outsourcing), consumer products, media, and entertainment sectorsCisco Extends Enterprise ATM Networking Solutions - Cisco Systems - Company Business and Marketing
Cisco Systems, Inc. Monday extended its Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) solution portfolio with new multiservice ATM and Layer 3 capabilities for enterprise networks. Enabling seamless integration of multiple traffic types in the network backbone, new features announced Monday reduce network operation costs and complexity and form the framework for converged Internet protocol (IP) and ATM networks and applications.
New products and features unveiled Monday include: o ATM Forum-compliant inverse multiplexing over ATM (IMA) network modules for the Cisco 2600 and 3600 Series platforms, the Catalyst 8500 Series multiservice switch router (MSR) and Lightstream 1010, the Cisco 7200 and 7500 Series routers and the Cisco MGX 8850 and 8220 carrier-grade platforms
* An ATM switched virtual circuit (SVC), RS-366 signaling interface and FRF.8 frame relay/ATM services interworking support on the Cisco MC3810 multiservice access concentratorA high-capacity OC-48c module on the Catalyst 8500 Series MSR
* An ATM router module on the Catalyst 8500 Series MSR
* Layer 3 access control list (ACL) daughter cards and an eight-port gigabit ethernet line card on the Catalyst 8500 Series MSR
Demand for ATM networking gear - estimated to reach nearly $7 billion by 2001 in Vertical Systems Group's 1998 ATM & Frame Relay Industry Update Report - is driven in the enterprise segment by the need for affordable, high-speed connectivity capable of integrating time-division multiplexing (TDM), IP and new multiservice applications.
With over $2 billion in ATM-related equipment sales in fiscal 1999, Cisco has a well established leadership role in ATM networking. Industry analysts confirm this strength, as evidenced by recent Cahners In-Stat reports which rate Cisco number one in OC-12 ATM LAN switch port shipments (Q199), number two in ATM LAN switch sales (1998) and number one in ATM WAN switching (Q199). A May 1999 Dataquest report also rates Cisco number one in backbone multiservice switch sales worldwide (Spring '99 Networking Worldwide Report).
"As this market data indicates, Cisco's commitment to ATM technology is very solid-much stronger, in fact, than many people realize," noted Prem Jain, vice president and general manager of Cisco's enterprise WAN business unit. "We are now making an even greater commitment to ATM-leveraging our extensive IP expertise to provide customers with intelligent networks that cost-effectively deliver IP-driven, ATM-enabled convergence solutions," said Jain.
New products and features unveiled Monday include: o ATM Forum-compliant inverse multiplexing over ATM (IMA) network modules for the Cisco 2600 and 3600 Series platforms, the Catalyst 8500 Series multiservice switch router (MSR) and Lightstream 1010, the Cisco 7200 and 7500 Series routers and the Cisco MGX 8850 and 8220 carrier-grade platforms
* An ATM switched virtual circuit (SVC), RS-366 signaling interface and FRF.8 frame relay/ATM services interworking support on the Cisco MC3810 multiservice access concentratorA high-capacity OC-48c module on the Catalyst 8500 Series MSR
* An ATM router module on the Catalyst 8500 Series MSR
* Layer 3 access control list (ACL) daughter cards and an eight-port gigabit ethernet line card on the Catalyst 8500 Series MSR
Demand for ATM networking gear - estimated to reach nearly $7 billion by 2001 in Vertical Systems Group's 1998 ATM & Frame Relay Industry Update Report - is driven in the enterprise segment by the need for affordable, high-speed connectivity capable of integrating time-division multiplexing (TDM), IP and new multiservice applications.
With over $2 billion in ATM-related equipment sales in fiscal 1999, Cisco has a well established leadership role in ATM networking. Industry analysts confirm this strength, as evidenced by recent Cahners In-Stat reports which rate Cisco number one in OC-12 ATM LAN switch port shipments (Q199), number two in ATM LAN switch sales (1998) and number one in ATM WAN switching (Q199). A May 1999 Dataquest report also rates Cisco number one in backbone multiservice switch sales worldwide (Spring '99 Networking Worldwide Report).
"As this market data indicates, Cisco's commitment to ATM technology is very solid-much stronger, in fact, than many people realize," noted Prem Jain, vice president and general manager of Cisco's enterprise WAN business unit. "We are now making an even greater commitment to ATM-leveraging our extensive IP expertise to provide customers with intelligent networks that cost-effectively deliver IP-driven, ATM-enabled convergence solutions," said Jain.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Social Networking Reaches Into the Enterprise
An early entrant into the enterprise social networking field is unveiling an updated version of its software on Wednesday.
Contact Network Corp., of Boston, is releasing Contact Network 2.5, server software that allows corporations to create their own private social networks where employees can mine each other's contacts to find new introductions and sales leads. Enterprise social networks remain relatively new, since most of the attention around social networking has focused on consumer-oriented Web sites such as Friendster.
"We're applying the power of social networking from within the enterprise where people have a natural affinity and incentive to share contacts," said Geoff Hyatt, chairman and co-founder of Contact Network.
The latest release, the company's third since launching the product in September 2002, adds support for more sources of contact data, allows the setting of systemwide privacy settings and includes user-interface enhancementsContact Network gathers contact information from e-mails, address books and resumes on corporate computing systems. It already supported data collection from Microsoft Outlook and Exchange as well as Lotus Notes and Domino, and in the latest release adds support for Outlook 2003 and Windows Server 2003.
The software, using a database of 125,000 corporation names, can filter out spam e-mails and general corporate e-mails, such as a credit card statement. Contact Network 2.5 doubles the number of e-mail analysis filters to 30,000.
Also new in Version 2.5 is the ability to gather contact information from custom contact databases built in Microsoft Access and Exchange, Hyatt said. The software already supported pulling data from customer relationship management systems, specifically from Siebel and Microsoft CRM.
Contact Network ensures privacy by allowing users the choice of whether to participate—about 99 percent do opt in—as well as the ability to block specific contacts in their address books, Hyatt said. Also, no employee can gain access to a contact without first going through the employee who knows the contact.
In the new version, administrators also are able to set some universal privacy settings by defining the maximum level of contact sharing allowed.
"We err on the side of privacy, and there's no reason to push the envelope unnecessarily," Hyatt said.
Contact Network also has made improvements to the contact search interface itself. Users now can view corporate structure information by seeing how an affiliate company or subsidiary relates to a parent company
Pricing for Contact Network 2.5 is based on a monthly subscription depending on the size of an enterprise. Typical deployments range between $4,000 and $20,000 a month, Hyatt said.
Contact Network Corp., of Boston, is releasing Contact Network 2.5, server software that allows corporations to create their own private social networks where employees can mine each other's contacts to find new introductions and sales leads. Enterprise social networks remain relatively new, since most of the attention around social networking has focused on consumer-oriented Web sites such as Friendster.
"We're applying the power of social networking from within the enterprise where people have a natural affinity and incentive to share contacts," said Geoff Hyatt, chairman and co-founder of Contact Network.
The latest release, the company's third since launching the product in September 2002, adds support for more sources of contact data, allows the setting of systemwide privacy settings and includes user-interface enhancementsContact Network gathers contact information from e-mails, address books and resumes on corporate computing systems. It already supported data collection from Microsoft Outlook and Exchange as well as Lotus Notes and Domino, and in the latest release adds support for Outlook 2003 and Windows Server 2003.
The software, using a database of 125,000 corporation names, can filter out spam e-mails and general corporate e-mails, such as a credit card statement. Contact Network 2.5 doubles the number of e-mail analysis filters to 30,000.
Also new in Version 2.5 is the ability to gather contact information from custom contact databases built in Microsoft Access and Exchange, Hyatt said. The software already supported pulling data from customer relationship management systems, specifically from Siebel and Microsoft CRM.
Contact Network ensures privacy by allowing users the choice of whether to participate—about 99 percent do opt in—as well as the ability to block specific contacts in their address books, Hyatt said. Also, no employee can gain access to a contact without first going through the employee who knows the contact.
In the new version, administrators also are able to set some universal privacy settings by defining the maximum level of contact sharing allowed.
"We err on the side of privacy, and there's no reason to push the envelope unnecessarily," Hyatt said.
Contact Network also has made improvements to the contact search interface itself. Users now can view corporate structure information by seeing how an affiliate company or subsidiary relates to a parent company
Pricing for Contact Network 2.5 is based on a monthly subscription depending on the size of an enterprise. Typical deployments range between $4,000 and $20,000 a month, Hyatt said.
In-Stat Finds MEMS Gaining Momentum in Optical Networking - Brief Article
Despite the recent market downturn, MEMS technology remains an oasis within the telecommunications industry, according to Cahners In-Stat Group. MEMS will play a key role in providing the advanced components needed to get the most out of telecom carriers' fiber optic cable investments. As a result, sales of MEMS for use in optical networking will rise from $67 million in 2001 to $2.3 billion in 2005.
In fact, venture capitalists are still providing significant levels of equity to MEMS firms, customers continue to be enthusiastic in their evaluations, and more companies are moving toward production ramp-up. MEMS-based variable optical attenuators, tunable filters, and tunable lasers have expanded the market beyond switches, providing additional revenue streams within the telecom sector. Market movement is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2001, with increased momentum in early 2002While the primary focus of MEMS components continues to be the backbone and the MAN, companies are now beginning to take a look at the LAN.
- Although the telecom market won't boom like it did for the past several years, smaller segments such as the MAN will experience rapid growth, with MEMS solutions being a significant factor.
- Venture capitalists have provided more money to MEMS companies in the first half of 2001 than they did during all of 2000.
The report, MEMS and Optical Networks: Oasis or Mirage, examines the changes that have occurred over the past year in regard to the use of MEMS in optical networking. It analyzes the current telecom slowdown and its impact on MEMS development, and compares the increasingly diverse array of solutions. It also discusses how and when we can expect this market to really take off. The report includes profiles of key players, and forecasts product unit sales and revenues through 2005
In fact, venture capitalists are still providing significant levels of equity to MEMS firms, customers continue to be enthusiastic in their evaluations, and more companies are moving toward production ramp-up. MEMS-based variable optical attenuators, tunable filters, and tunable lasers have expanded the market beyond switches, providing additional revenue streams within the telecom sector. Market movement is expected to begin in the fourth quarter of 2001, with increased momentum in early 2002While the primary focus of MEMS components continues to be the backbone and the MAN, companies are now beginning to take a look at the LAN.
- Although the telecom market won't boom like it did for the past several years, smaller segments such as the MAN will experience rapid growth, with MEMS solutions being a significant factor.
- Venture capitalists have provided more money to MEMS companies in the first half of 2001 than they did during all of 2000.
The report, MEMS and Optical Networks: Oasis or Mirage, examines the changes that have occurred over the past year in regard to the use of MEMS in optical networking. It analyzes the current telecom slowdown and its impact on MEMS development, and compares the increasingly diverse array of solutions. It also discusses how and when we can expect this market to really take off. The report includes profiles of key players, and forecasts product unit sales and revenues through 2005
Thursday, November 16, 2006
PacketHop, Zensys Make Mesh Networking Advances
A pair of mesh networking companies will take the stage Monday, promising to improve wireless connectivity by shunting wireless connections through multiple access points.
PacketHop Inc. will announce that it has spun off from parent and noted incubator SRI International; in an unrelated announcement, Zensys A/S will disclose a business relationship with Intel Corp. to wire a mesh network into home appliances.
Traditional 802.11 wireless networking links a client to an access point in a direct connection. Wireless providers are working to allow 802.11 users to roam from one access point to another, such as with cellular handsets. In cases where the signal from the client to the access point is blocked, however, a wireless user is often stuck.
Mesh networking, on the other hand, dynamically routes wireless signals in a weblike mesh. Individual devices, which make up the web's wireless weft, automatically calculate their position and dynamically reroute signals to maintain the best connection. Intel has been a public proponent of the technology, showing off early research at its Intel Developer Forum each of the past two years.
Success of Sea Basing Concept Hinges on Effective Logistics Management Systems
With Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) ships at its heart, and protective strike groups at its perimeter, the sea base is envisioned as the operational corpus for U.S. tactical forces of the future. Its various parts will be bound together by the major arteries of the sea base; the logistics management systems that will make the difference between success and failure of the entire concept.
However, those arteries now are filled with unsuitable processes and hardware, and major surgery will be required to make the sea basing scheme a reality. Vice Adm Charles W. Moore Jr., the Navy's logistics chief, said during an April presentation on sea basing during the Navy League's SeaAir-Space Exposition in Washington, D.C., "We believe that in order to be as responsive and capable as we need to be in the long run for sea basing, we're going to have to get serious about enhancing our logistics capability."
The supply systems of the four services are incompatible, for example, and much of the military's logistics hardware would not function well as part of a sea base. The landing craft, air cushion (LCAC), a hovercraft that moves people and equipment from ship to shore, was not designed to take on cargo in sea state 4 with waves of 4 to 8 feet, a prime criterion for sea base operations. In Iraq, Marine logistics information systems - some 30 years old - could not keep track of requests from dispersed and fast-moving fighting unitsMarine Lt. Gen. Richard L. Kelly, an architect of sea basing and deputy commandant for installations and logistics, has ordered an overhaul. Existing MPF ships would be a detriment to the sea base, as they have been in current operations ranging from Iraq to the 1993 Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. As MPF ships docked at Mogadishu to help relieve famine conditions, military forces had to offload Abrams tanks to gain access to the food supplies below. In Iraq, the inflexibility of the MPFs and other cargo ships meant moving mountains of supplies and equipment off the ships onto the beach, creating the largest materiel buildup since World War II. Selective offload, a key requirement of sea basing, was impossible.
However, sea service officials believe they can come up with the innovations requisite to breathe life into the sea basing concept. Jonathan D. Kaskin, the Navy's director of strategic mobility and combat logistics, said many of the system changes to come will center on the design of a new MPF Future ship as the services move their force constitution, staging, onward movement and integration efforts from shore to the sea base.
The MPF Future ship, to be built beginning in 2007, will do much more than carry cargo. Among the design features being considered are a flight deck, joint forces command-and-control module, accommodations for troops and selective offload capability that may be based on the systems now used by amphibious ships.
Some experts call for an MPF Future flight deck 1,000 feet long and wide enough to accommodate the C-130, which flew off an aircraft carrier in tests 40 years ago and is being considered as a "connector" craft to shuttle troops and materiel from the sea base to shore. Unlike vertical lift craft, the C-130 can transport the 20-ton cargo container, a basic storage mode for war materiel.
The Navy may decide to begin the MPF Future program with a modified commercial container ship. Maersk Line Ltd., a large maritime services company that operates a fiveship squadron of current MPF ships for the Navy, proposes its "Afloat Forward Staging Base," a modification of the SClass container ship, which is 1,140 feet long and could provide selective offload of cargo, berthing and support for 6,000 troops and a flight deck capable of simultaneous operations by a dozen V-22 tiltrotor aircraft.
Devised in cooperation with naval architects Gibbs & Cox and Norshipco, a ship conversion company, the ship could be fitted with a side ramp for roll-off operations. Stephen M. Carmel, senior vice president of Maersk, said the ship would be built at modest cost and in the water within 18 months of an order.
The MPF Future also could be designed to bolster the performance of LCACs in sea state 4 conditions if fitted with a ramp, loading platform and stern and bow thrusters, Kaskin said. The huge ship could be oriented "so that you have sea state 4 or 5 on one side and create a lee [sheltered area] on the other." The hovercraft LCACs would use the ramp for access and take on cargo from the loaded platform.
However, those arteries now are filled with unsuitable processes and hardware, and major surgery will be required to make the sea basing scheme a reality. Vice Adm Charles W. Moore Jr., the Navy's logistics chief, said during an April presentation on sea basing during the Navy League's SeaAir-Space Exposition in Washington, D.C., "We believe that in order to be as responsive and capable as we need to be in the long run for sea basing, we're going to have to get serious about enhancing our logistics capability."
The supply systems of the four services are incompatible, for example, and much of the military's logistics hardware would not function well as part of a sea base. The landing craft, air cushion (LCAC), a hovercraft that moves people and equipment from ship to shore, was not designed to take on cargo in sea state 4 with waves of 4 to 8 feet, a prime criterion for sea base operations. In Iraq, Marine logistics information systems - some 30 years old - could not keep track of requests from dispersed and fast-moving fighting unitsMarine Lt. Gen. Richard L. Kelly, an architect of sea basing and deputy commandant for installations and logistics, has ordered an overhaul. Existing MPF ships would be a detriment to the sea base, as they have been in current operations ranging from Iraq to the 1993 Operation Restore Hope in Somalia. As MPF ships docked at Mogadishu to help relieve famine conditions, military forces had to offload Abrams tanks to gain access to the food supplies below. In Iraq, the inflexibility of the MPFs and other cargo ships meant moving mountains of supplies and equipment off the ships onto the beach, creating the largest materiel buildup since World War II. Selective offload, a key requirement of sea basing, was impossible.
However, sea service officials believe they can come up with the innovations requisite to breathe life into the sea basing concept. Jonathan D. Kaskin, the Navy's director of strategic mobility and combat logistics, said many of the system changes to come will center on the design of a new MPF Future ship as the services move their force constitution, staging, onward movement and integration efforts from shore to the sea base.
The MPF Future ship, to be built beginning in 2007, will do much more than carry cargo. Among the design features being considered are a flight deck, joint forces command-and-control module, accommodations for troops and selective offload capability that may be based on the systems now used by amphibious ships.
Some experts call for an MPF Future flight deck 1,000 feet long and wide enough to accommodate the C-130, which flew off an aircraft carrier in tests 40 years ago and is being considered as a "connector" craft to shuttle troops and materiel from the sea base to shore. Unlike vertical lift craft, the C-130 can transport the 20-ton cargo container, a basic storage mode for war materiel.
The Navy may decide to begin the MPF Future program with a modified commercial container ship. Maersk Line Ltd., a large maritime services company that operates a fiveship squadron of current MPF ships for the Navy, proposes its "Afloat Forward Staging Base," a modification of the SClass container ship, which is 1,140 feet long and could provide selective offload of cargo, berthing and support for 6,000 troops and a flight deck capable of simultaneous operations by a dozen V-22 tiltrotor aircraft.
Devised in cooperation with naval architects Gibbs & Cox and Norshipco, a ship conversion company, the ship could be fitted with a side ramp for roll-off operations. Stephen M. Carmel, senior vice president of Maersk, said the ship would be built at modest cost and in the water within 18 months of an order.
The MPF Future also could be designed to bolster the performance of LCACs in sea state 4 conditions if fitted with a ramp, loading platform and stern and bow thrusters, Kaskin said. The huge ship could be oriented "so that you have sea state 4 or 5 on one side and create a lee [sheltered area] on the other." The hovercraft LCACs would use the ramp for access and take on cargo from the loaded platform.
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
HP Doubles Processing Power of Itanium-Based Systems
Hewlett-Packard Co. is rolling out new hardware, software and services designed to push forward the company's Adaptive Enterprise utility computing strategy.
At the company's ENSA@Work conference in Munich, Germany, HP officials on Wednesday are unveiling a new module that will double the processing power of its Itanium-based Integrity systems. The new mx2 module will feature two 64-bit Itanium 2 processors on a single module, said Mark Hudson, vice president of marketing for HP's Enterprise Storage and Servers group.
IT administrators will be able to replace existing single-processor modules in their current four- to 128-way systems with the mx2, Hudson said. That will turn a customer's 128-way Superdome into a 256-processor server without having to buy a new system.
In addition, the Palo Alto, Calif., company is introducing its StorageWorks Reference Information Storage System, or RISS, that Hudson said helps enterprises deal with the growing amount of data that needs to be stored on a long-term basis, particularly in light of such federal regulations as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA medical privacy requirementThe solution, in part the result of HP's acquisition last year of Persist Technologies Inc., also makes indexing, searching and retrieval of the data easier. HP's storage grid architecture makes each of those tasks a "smart cell," complete with its own hardware, storage, search engine and retrieval capabilities. The solution also includes accompanying services, and will be followed in the future with a developer tool kit, HP officials said.
Also in Munich, HP introduced new information lifecycle management services, including Business Requirement Analysis to assess everything from an enterprise's regulatory compliance to archiving requirements and policies, and Electronic Vaulting Service to help businesses design and create backup capabilities either on-site or hosted by HP.
In addition, the company is introducing to its NonStop line of high-availability systems the same mission-critical services that it has in its other servers. Prior to this, these systems—holdovers from the Compaq Computer Corp. acquisition—were managed by propriety services designed specifically for the NonStop systems.
Check out eWEEK.com's Server and Networking Center at http://servers.eweek.com for the latest news, views and analysis on servers, switches and networking protocols for the enterprise and small businesses
At the company's ENSA@Work conference in Munich, Germany, HP officials on Wednesday are unveiling a new module that will double the processing power of its Itanium-based Integrity systems. The new mx2 module will feature two 64-bit Itanium 2 processors on a single module, said Mark Hudson, vice president of marketing for HP's Enterprise Storage and Servers group.
IT administrators will be able to replace existing single-processor modules in their current four- to 128-way systems with the mx2, Hudson said. That will turn a customer's 128-way Superdome into a 256-processor server without having to buy a new system.
In addition, the Palo Alto, Calif., company is introducing its StorageWorks Reference Information Storage System, or RISS, that Hudson said helps enterprises deal with the growing amount of data that needs to be stored on a long-term basis, particularly in light of such federal regulations as Sarbanes-Oxley and HIPAA medical privacy requirementThe solution, in part the result of HP's acquisition last year of Persist Technologies Inc., also makes indexing, searching and retrieval of the data easier. HP's storage grid architecture makes each of those tasks a "smart cell," complete with its own hardware, storage, search engine and retrieval capabilities. The solution also includes accompanying services, and will be followed in the future with a developer tool kit, HP officials said.
Also in Munich, HP introduced new information lifecycle management services, including Business Requirement Analysis to assess everything from an enterprise's regulatory compliance to archiving requirements and policies, and Electronic Vaulting Service to help businesses design and create backup capabilities either on-site or hosted by HP.
In addition, the company is introducing to its NonStop line of high-availability systems the same mission-critical services that it has in its other servers. Prior to this, these systems—holdovers from the Compaq Computer Corp. acquisition—were managed by propriety services designed specifically for the NonStop systems.
Check out eWEEK.com's Server and Networking Center at http://servers.eweek.com for the latest news, views and analysis on servers, switches and networking protocols for the enterprise and small businesses
Consumer Demand for Home Networking Remains Steady - Park Associates study
One-third of US households currently subscribing to dial-up Internet service are interested in upgrading to broadband service in the next 12 months, according to Parks Associates' latest consumer study, Bundled Services & Residential Gateways.
Additionally, 28 percent of broadband subscribers intend to purchase home networking solutions in the same period, indicating that subscriber growth for these advanced technologies will be modest but steady in the coming months.
This research supports previous forecasts offered by Parks Associates, which predicted that 10.7 million US households will subscribe to broadband service and 5.7 million households will have some form of home network deployed by year-end 2001.
"The early adopting consumer is ready to purchase networks and adopt broadband but most wait on excellent product with rational pricing," said Tricia Parks, president of Parks Associates. "It's more important than ever to have a complete understanding of what consumers want and how much they will pay."
This recent survey of 2,500 US households from Parks Associates has revealed steady demand for network connectivity solutions among multiple-PC households, which supports the firm's current forecasts for the home networking market. The report contains consumer data as well as interpretation and analysis of the attitudes and trends impacting consumer electronics; Internet service; home networking technology' home security and control services; digital video and audio services; and a number of other legacy and next-generation applications made possible by the delivery of broadband technology to the home.
"Our forecasts have always been grounded in an intimate understanding of the consumer," said Michael Greeson, senior analyst with Parks Associates. "That is in many ways what separates our research from our competitors."
The survey conducted in July 2001, also found that these consumers are most likely to seek home networking solutions based on their ability to share Internet access and peripherals first. A secondary driver for home networking includes entertainment applications.
"This latest batch of research helps us better understand the role of the early-adopter consumer and sheds new light on how home networking will evolve" said Kurt Ascherf, vice president of research for Parks Associates. "With a more detailed profile of the purchasers of home networking solutions, we are better able to build forecast models that we believe are more accurate in presenting the outlook for this market."
Parks Associates will present its latest findings on the home networking marketplace on September 4, 2001, in a special workshop prior to the Custom Electronic Design and Installation (CEDIA) Expo in Indianapolis, IN.
Led by Kurt Scherf, vice president of research, and Grayson Evans, president of the training department, the workshop is appropriate for both home networking neophytes who need a solid understanding of the networking market and industry veterans who are seeking new market opportunities.
The instructors will offer a comprehensive understanding of the customer and analyze the systems and solutions vying for shelf space, the homebuilder's perspective on structure wiring and integrated systems, and the essentials for installing and maintaining wired and wireless home networking products and systems.
Additionally, 28 percent of broadband subscribers intend to purchase home networking solutions in the same period, indicating that subscriber growth for these advanced technologies will be modest but steady in the coming months.
This research supports previous forecasts offered by Parks Associates, which predicted that 10.7 million US households will subscribe to broadband service and 5.7 million households will have some form of home network deployed by year-end 2001.
"The early adopting consumer is ready to purchase networks and adopt broadband but most wait on excellent product with rational pricing," said Tricia Parks, president of Parks Associates. "It's more important than ever to have a complete understanding of what consumers want and how much they will pay."
This recent survey of 2,500 US households from Parks Associates has revealed steady demand for network connectivity solutions among multiple-PC households, which supports the firm's current forecasts for the home networking market. The report contains consumer data as well as interpretation and analysis of the attitudes and trends impacting consumer electronics; Internet service; home networking technology' home security and control services; digital video and audio services; and a number of other legacy and next-generation applications made possible by the delivery of broadband technology to the home.
"Our forecasts have always been grounded in an intimate understanding of the consumer," said Michael Greeson, senior analyst with Parks Associates. "That is in many ways what separates our research from our competitors."
The survey conducted in July 2001, also found that these consumers are most likely to seek home networking solutions based on their ability to share Internet access and peripherals first. A secondary driver for home networking includes entertainment applications.
"This latest batch of research helps us better understand the role of the early-adopter consumer and sheds new light on how home networking will evolve" said Kurt Ascherf, vice president of research for Parks Associates. "With a more detailed profile of the purchasers of home networking solutions, we are better able to build forecast models that we believe are more accurate in presenting the outlook for this market."
Parks Associates will present its latest findings on the home networking marketplace on September 4, 2001, in a special workshop prior to the Custom Electronic Design and Installation (CEDIA) Expo in Indianapolis, IN.
Led by Kurt Scherf, vice president of research, and Grayson Evans, president of the training department, the workshop is appropriate for both home networking neophytes who need a solid understanding of the networking market and industry veterans who are seeking new market opportunities.
The instructors will offer a comprehensive understanding of the customer and analyze the systems and solutions vying for shelf space, the homebuilder's perspective on structure wiring and integrated systems, and the essentials for installing and maintaining wired and wireless home networking products and systems.
Mobile Phone features high-speed HSDPA technology
Featuring ultra-thin clamshell design, Model LG CU500 give customers access to Cingular Wireless data services at broadband speeds. It offers music player, external music keys, and optional Bluetooth Stereo headset for wireless music listening. With Cingular Video, customers can watch clips from their favorite shows, news, sports, and movie trailers. Phone includes 1.3 megapixel camera with rotating lens and video record, as well as preloaded Instant Messenger.
********************
Fully Loaded CU500 Features High Speed HSDPA Technology Packaged in an Ultra-Slim Black Clamshell
ATLANTA and SAN DIEGO, July 17 /-- Cingular Wireless and LG MobileComm U.S.A. (LG Mobile Phones) today announced the availability of the LG CU500, a new 3G phone that gives customers access to Cingular Wireless data services at broadband speeds for faster and better performance. The CU500 is available exclusively to Cingular customers who are interested in an ultra- thin clamshell design that can easily handle their voice, data, messaging and music needs.
"The CU500 is one of the first devices to be launched from Cingular that will allow customers to realize the full potential and benefits of Cingular's 3G network," said David Christopher, vice president of product management for Cingular. "Not only is this a great entertainment device with music and video, but with Cingular's high-speed 3G network, even the things you normally do on your phone, like access the web for news, stocks or weather, are done better and fasterThe new CU500 signals the next level in high speed mobile capability," said Jeff Hwang, senior vice president of marketing and product strategy, LG Electronics MobileComm. "With the arrival of HSDPA technology, users can now download their favorite multimedia content at nearly instantaneous speeds. Having the ability to deliver this kind of innovation to our consumers in a sleek and attractive form factor is a testament to what is possible in today's advanced mobile landscape."
The LG CU500 provides fast and easy access to Cingular Video and a variety of other multimedia and messaging capabilities. The CU500 offers a full- featured music player, external music keys and optional Bluetooth Stereo headset to make listening to music on the go easy and, for the first time, truly wireless. Customers can also identify an artist's name and song being played on the radio, TV, or at a club with MusicID, Cingular's enhanced music recognition service.
With Cingular Video, customers can watch clips from their favorite shows, news, sports and movie trailers right on their device at broadband speeds over the Cingular 3G HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) network.
In addition to its entertainment possibilities, the CU500 also includes a 1.3 mega-pixel camera with rotating lens and video record lets customers capture those special moments as they happen in vivid detail and share them instantly with friends and family via multimedia messaging. Customers can also stay in touch with the people who matter to them most by using one of the preloaded Instant Messenger clients: AOL(R) Instant Messenger(TM) (AIM(R)), Yahoo!(R) Messenger and MSN Messenger.
Cingular's 3G network is currently available in 18 major markets serving 54 communities and provides average download data speeds between 400-700 kilobits per second with bursts to over one megabit. The company expects service to be available in most major markets by the end of the year
The LG CU500 is available through select Cingular Wireless retail locations or via *
*Rebate requires an unlimited MEdia Net plan
About Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 55.8 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S.
********************
Fully Loaded CU500 Features High Speed HSDPA Technology Packaged in an Ultra-Slim Black Clamshell
ATLANTA and SAN DIEGO, July 17 /-- Cingular Wireless and LG MobileComm U.S.A. (LG Mobile Phones) today announced the availability of the LG CU500, a new 3G phone that gives customers access to Cingular Wireless data services at broadband speeds for faster and better performance. The CU500 is available exclusively to Cingular customers who are interested in an ultra- thin clamshell design that can easily handle their voice, data, messaging and music needs.
"The CU500 is one of the first devices to be launched from Cingular that will allow customers to realize the full potential and benefits of Cingular's 3G network," said David Christopher, vice president of product management for Cingular. "Not only is this a great entertainment device with music and video, but with Cingular's high-speed 3G network, even the things you normally do on your phone, like access the web for news, stocks or weather, are done better and fasterThe new CU500 signals the next level in high speed mobile capability," said Jeff Hwang, senior vice president of marketing and product strategy, LG Electronics MobileComm. "With the arrival of HSDPA technology, users can now download their favorite multimedia content at nearly instantaneous speeds. Having the ability to deliver this kind of innovation to our consumers in a sleek and attractive form factor is a testament to what is possible in today's advanced mobile landscape."
The LG CU500 provides fast and easy access to Cingular Video and a variety of other multimedia and messaging capabilities. The CU500 offers a full- featured music player, external music keys and optional Bluetooth Stereo headset to make listening to music on the go easy and, for the first time, truly wireless. Customers can also identify an artist's name and song being played on the radio, TV, or at a club with MusicID, Cingular's enhanced music recognition service.
With Cingular Video, customers can watch clips from their favorite shows, news, sports and movie trailers right on their device at broadband speeds over the Cingular 3G HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) network.
In addition to its entertainment possibilities, the CU500 also includes a 1.3 mega-pixel camera with rotating lens and video record lets customers capture those special moments as they happen in vivid detail and share them instantly with friends and family via multimedia messaging. Customers can also stay in touch with the people who matter to them most by using one of the preloaded Instant Messenger clients: AOL(R) Instant Messenger(TM) (AIM(R)), Yahoo!(R) Messenger and MSN Messenger.
Cingular's 3G network is currently available in 18 major markets serving 54 communities and provides average download data speeds between 400-700 kilobits per second with bursts to over one megabit. The company expects service to be available in most major markets by the end of the year
The LG CU500 is available through select Cingular Wireless retail locations or via *
*Rebate requires an unlimited MEdia Net plan
About Cingular Wireless
Cingular Wireless is the largest wireless carrier in the United States, serving 55.8 million customers. Cingular, a joint venture between AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and BellSouth Corporation (NYSE:BLS), has the largest digital voice and data network in the nation -- the ALLOVER(TM) network -- and the largest mobile-to-mobile community of any national wireless carrier. Cingular is a leader in third generation wireless technology. Its 3G network is the first widely available service in the world to use HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access) technology. Cingular is the only U.S.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
SAN-OS with advanced storage networking capabilities - Premiere - Brief Article
Cisco Systems has added numerous advanced storage networking capabilities to its MDS 9000 family of multilayer intelligent directors and fabric switches, with the release of its new SAN-OS software.
These software features are now available through the Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS 1.3, the latest version of the platform's operating system, delivering what Cisco says are several industry firsts for functionality integrated into SAN switches.
These include: routing capabilities through Inter-VSAN routing; QoS; the ability to offer both Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP)and Write Acceleration and Compression; and support for intermixing of open systems protocols (Fiber Channel, iSCSI, FCIP) and FICON (Fiber Connector) with FICON CUP (control unit port) management on the same switch through VSANs. Cisco Systems has added numerous advanced storage networking capabilities to its MDS 9000 family of multilayer intelligent directors and fabric switches, with the release of its new SAN-OS software.
These software features are now available through the Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS 1.3, the latest version of the platform's operating system, delivering what Cisco says are several industry firsts for functionality integrated into SAN switches.
These include: routing capabilities through Inter-VSAN routing; QoS; the ability to offer both Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP)and Write Acceleration and Compression; and support for intermixing of open systems protocols (Fiber Channel, iSCSI, FCIP) and FICON (Fiber Connector) with FICON CUP (control unit port) management on the same switch through VSANs.
These software features are now available through the Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS 1.3, the latest version of the platform's operating system, delivering what Cisco says are several industry firsts for functionality integrated into SAN switches.
These include: routing capabilities through Inter-VSAN routing; QoS; the ability to offer both Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP)and Write Acceleration and Compression; and support for intermixing of open systems protocols (Fiber Channel, iSCSI, FCIP) and FICON (Fiber Connector) with FICON CUP (control unit port) management on the same switch through VSANs. Cisco Systems has added numerous advanced storage networking capabilities to its MDS 9000 family of multilayer intelligent directors and fabric switches, with the release of its new SAN-OS software.
These software features are now available through the Cisco MDS 9000 SAN-OS 1.3, the latest version of the platform's operating system, delivering what Cisco says are several industry firsts for functionality integrated into SAN switches.
These include: routing capabilities through Inter-VSAN routing; QoS; the ability to offer both Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP)and Write Acceleration and Compression; and support for intermixing of open systems protocols (Fiber Channel, iSCSI, FCIP) and FICON (Fiber Connector) with FICON CUP (control unit port) management on the same switch through VSANs.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Free wireless broadband access to be introduced in California's Silicon Valley
INTERNET BUSINESS NEWS-(C)1995-2006 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
Silicon Valley Metro Connect, a collaboration of wireless service provider Azulstar Networks; Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO), a provider of networking for the Internet; information technology company IBM (NYSE:IBM); and SeaKay Inc, is to create a broadband wireless Internet access network in California's Silicon Valley, in the US.
According to IBM, apart from providing free wireless access to the public the network will also be able to support a range of uses by residential, small business, public sector and commercial users. Upon completion the network will span 42 municipalities and almost 1,500 square miles.
Silicon Valley Metro Connect, a collaboration of wireless service provider Azulstar Networks; Cisco Systems Inc (NASDAQ:CSCO), a provider of networking for the Internet; information technology company IBM (NYSE:IBM); and SeaKay Inc, is to create a broadband wireless Internet access network in California's Silicon Valley, in the US.
According to IBM, apart from providing free wireless access to the public the network will also be able to support a range of uses by residential, small business, public sector and commercial users. Upon completion the network will span 42 municipalities and almost 1,500 square miles.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Cortina Systems Purchases Intel's Optical-Networking Components Business
SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Cortina Systems Inc. and Intel Corporation today announced that they have completed the sale of product lines and associated assets of Intel's optical-networking components business to Cortina.
Cortina has emerged as a leading supplier of advanced communications semiconductor solutions for the carrier infrastructure market segment. The acquisition will give Cortina a large portfolio of enterprise and infrastructure communications products and will position it to become a leading communications semiconductor company. The sale will enable Intel to focus its investments on its core communications and embedded businesses, including Intel(R) Architecture and network processors, modular communications platforms and optical modules. The transaction closed Friday after completing regulatory review.
Cortina has purchased a broad selection of Intel's Ethernet Media Access Controllers (MACs) and Physical Layer Devices (PHYs) portfolio, and its entire portfolio Transport and Service Framers, Optical transport Forward Error Correction (FEC) framers, and T1/E1 line interface productsThe purchase expands Cortina's product portfolio to provide a more complete offering to current Cortina and Intel customers. Cortina plans to continue to work closely with Intel as an active member of the Intel(R) Communications Alliance.
Cortina also announced that, concurrent with the acquisition, it has closed a funding round led by a new investor, Institutional Venture Partners (IVP), along with other new investors Alloy Ventures, Bridgescale Partners, DCM - Doll Capital Management and Sofinnova Ventures. Existing Cortina investors Canaan Partners and Morgenthaler Ventures also led the round, and all other existing venture investors participated. As part of the transaction, and in addition to an undisclosed amount of cash, Intel received a minority equity position in Cortina. Additional financial terms are not being disclosed.
"This acquisition positions Cortina to become the leading pure-play communications semiconductor company," said Cortina CEO Amir Nayyerhabibi. "It greatly broadens our offering to give Cortina a comprehensive portfolio of products for network infrastructure applications while maintaining our reputation for leading-edge technology and outstanding customer service. The substantial customer overlap was a key driver for this acquisition, and customers support our decision to bring these products together under the Cortina brand."
"We're honing Intel's focus in the communications and embedded market segments to align with our core businesses," said Bill Chatwell, general manager of Intel's Optical-Networking Components Division. "The optical-networking components segment remains a strong market opportunity, and we believe this business and its assets are an optimal fit for Cortina as it grows the business while maintaining customer commitments."
Intel's optical-networking components business includes employees involved in a variety of functions, including engineering, operations and marketing. Cortina has extended offers of employment to a significant number of these employees. The two companies will be working together during the coming months to complete a smooth transition of the business in order to continue to offer high-quality service and support to customers.
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Search Engines, Meet Social Networking
A startup search site launched this week is using social networking technology as a way to personalize search results based on a user's network of friends.
Eurekster Inc. on Wednesday introduced it search site that tweaks the relevancy ratings of results according to the recent search queries of a user's friends. The site also lets users view the most popular search queries among their friends, said Grant Ryan, CEO of the San Francisco-based company.
"The Internet is such a huge place with all this information. How do you know what's good?" Ryan said. "This uses the natural process of finding out about things by word of mouth."
Eurekster plugs into the Web index and search results from Yahoo Inc. subsidiary Overture for both its Web search results and for sponsored results. But it adds its own technology on top of the Overture Web results that links into social networks.
For now, users must build their social networks through Eurekster by inviting friends to join the site and accepting invitations to join other users' networks. But Eurekster eventually wants to partner with other social networking and search sites to broaden the appeal of its approach to Web searches, Ryan said. We're certainly talking to people in both sectors," he said.
Users fearing that their friends will be able to see all their search queries need not fret, Ryan said. Eurekster includes privacy features so users can block specific searches from being seen by others—both when they enter a search query and after they receive results.
Eurekster was founded by SLI Systems Inc. and RealContacts Ltd. SLI Systems, of San Francisco, provides search services to corporations and Web sites, while RealContacts is involved in social networking services for recruitment. Ryan is also CEO of RealContacts, based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Eurekster's search and social networking features are free. The company expects to earn revenue based on users' click-throughs to Overture's paid search listings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)