News

News

• August 03, 2011 03 Aug'11

  F5 streamlines application delivery controller operations with iApps

  With its iApp framework, F5 Networks simplifies the process of getting an application up and running on its application delivery controllers.

• August 03, 2011 03 Aug'11

  Quest makes its network management software free for 100 nodes or less

  Quest Software offers Foglight network management software as a free download for 100 or fewer nodes on a network, hoping to snatch SolarWinds customers in the long term.

• August 02, 2011 02 Aug'11

  High-availability virtualization networking is a fallacy

  High-availability virtualization tools promise to monitor virtual machines and automatically restart them when there's a failure, but lots of problems ensue.

• July 27, 2011 27 Jul'11

  Web application performance: Complex apps make problems for WAN pros

  As browser-based apps continue to grow in volume and complexity, WAN managers are re-evaluating their network engineering strategies to improve Web application performance.

• July 27, 2011 27 Jul'11

  Wireless LAN security: NSA Suite B cryptography is government strength

  Aruba's support of NSA Suite B cryptography opens up wireless LAN mobility options for classified government networks and highly secure enterprises.

• July 22, 2011 22 Jul'11

  Cisco Live 2011 Las Vegas: Nexus and Catalyst under one roof

  At Cisco Live 2011 Las Vegas, Cisco said it will condense business units. That means Nexus and Catalyst switching lines will live in the same unit. Which one will get the R&D cash?

• July 21, 2011 21 Jul'11

  Take my company, please: Brocade, Alcatel-Lucent seeking exits

  With Dell buying Force10 Networks, Brocade seeking a buyer and Alcatel-Lucent looking to shed its enterprise business, does anyone want to be in the networking industry anymore? Which narrative ...

• July 21, 2011 21 Jul'11

  Dell's Force10 acquisition spawns another data center network strategy

  Dell's Force10 acquisition aims to create a converged infrastructure solution for the data center network with Dell's server and storage products.

• July 20, 2011 20 Jul'11

  Cisco adds 60-watt Power over Ethernet standard in Cat 4500

  Cisco is pushing the Power over Ethernet standard to 60 watts with Universal PoE. The technology is available in new line cards for the Catalyst 4500.

• July 20, 2011 20 Jul'11

  Smartphone adoption spurs advanced services demand in Latin America

  Latin American smartphone adoption is more robust than North America's, and the consumers are more mobile-friendly than their peers in developed economies.

• July 20, 2011 20 Jul'11

  Silver Peak: Run our virtual WAN optimization software anywhere

  Silver Peak Systems is opening up its architecture to enable its virtual WAN optimization software to run on any capable network or storage device.

• July 15, 2011 15 Jul'11

  Server consolidation: Protect WAN performance with WAN optimization

  WAN optimization hasn't improved application response time for one IT pro, but it ensured that WAN performance was unaffected by a recent server consolidation initiative.

• July 14, 2011 14 Jul'11

  Cisco UCS upgrade goes for speed, management and automation

  Cisco's UCS upgrade includes higher speed and capacity in switching and server access, but it also enables deeper management and automation throughout the converged network.

• July 13, 2011 13 Jul'11

  Cisco Live 2011: Catalyst 6500 upgrade the game changer?

  At Cisco 2011, Cisco played to its core audience, announcing a Catalyst 6500 upgrade that will triple the switch's speed and capacity and beef up security and management.

• July 13, 2011 13 Jul'11

  Myth vs. Reality: 10 Gigabit Ethernet

  While 10 Gigbit Ethernet has been available for years, it is still new to many network engineers. We bust the common myths of 10 GbE.

• July 12, 2011 12 Jul'11

  HP Networking: We are taking share from Cisco

  While Cisco Systems uses its annual customer show, Cisco Live, to showcase new products and features that it hopes will sustain its position in the networking industry, HP is touting recent market ...

• July 08, 2011 08 Jul'11

  4G wireless WAN services with SLAs: Too good to be true?

  Despite the hype, 4G is as much of a best-effort consumer service as 3G is for branches. But Sprint is trying to make 4G business-ready with its new wireless WAN services.

• July 07, 2011 07 Jul'11

  Cisco competitors catch the user eye despite old loyalties

  Half of Cisco users will consider buying equipment from less expensive Cisco competitors even though these users believe in Cisco's products, according to a readership poll.

• July 05, 2011 05 Jul'11

  Network capacity planning evolves for virtualized environments

  Virtualization is changing the role of network capacity planning, making it more essential in the enterprise data center and making network capacity planning tools a must have.

• July 01, 2011 01 Jul'11

  WAN pros find Metro Ethernet services fast, cheap, simple alternative

  WAN managers tasked with satisfying an insatiable hunger for bandwidth are looking to Metro Ethernet and other Ethernet WAN services for bigger, cheaper pipes.

• June 30, 2011 30 Jun'11

  An advanced switch port mapper: Solarwinds User Device Tracker

  A new switch port mapper can find any device plugged into a network, track when it was last connected or send an alert when it reconnects.

• June 27, 2011 27 Jun'11

  HP Discover: Where's the core networking evolution?

  At HP Discover, HP Networking promised to change the networking industry, but didn't make any about real changes to its own core networking product. Why?

• June 23, 2011 23 Jun'11

  Aruba demos multimedia mobile application delivery on wireless LAN

  Mobile application delivery, especially video over Wi-Fi, challenges organizations with throngs of users, but Aruba may have a mobile application delivery answer.

• June 22, 2011 22 Jun'11

  No fireworks on World IPv6 Day, but IPv6 migration challenges remain

  No, nothing blew up on World IPv6 Day. But wide area network (WAN) managers still have plenty to worry about with their own IPv6 migration planning and preparation.

• June 21, 2011 21 Jun'11

  Stepford vWives: When your spouse comes to the tech conference

  Today I learned the meaning of the term virtual wife (vWife). No, this is not some virtual instance of a physical wife that can be provisioned on demand to share the load of washing dishes and ...

• June 16, 2011 16 Jun'11

  NFC mobile wallet services require downstream deals to be lucrative

  NFC mobile wallet services look cool, but "cool" doesn't make money. The opportunity for carriers is to market their positions as intermediaries to merchants and advertisers.

• June 16, 2011 16 Jun'11

  Enterasys offers remote network management via Facebook and Twitter

  Enterasys Networks introduces remote network management via enterprise social media. Is network management via Twitter and Facebook revolutionary or a marketing gimmick?

• June 15, 2011 15 Jun'11

  Multigigabit WAN optimization appliances target WAN replication, DR

  WAN optimization vendors are launching multigigabit appliances to address the sheer volume and high-availability requirements of WAN replication and DR traffic.

• June 14, 2011 14 Jun'11

  Where should virtual appliances for network services live?

  Virtual appliances for network services need not be confined to a data center's general pool of ESX hosts, as vendors leverage virtualization and build specialized hardware.

• June 13, 2011 13 Jun'11

  OpenFlow hype and the software-defined network

  The OpenFlow protocol, and the software-defined networks it enables, have a lot of potential for solving problems like virtualization.

• June 10, 2011 10 Jun'11

  Data center fabric overview

  A data center fabric is the next logical step for networks in the virtualization age. Discover the need for a data center fabric, as well as our roundup of players in the market.

• June 09, 2011 09 Jun'11

  Operators plan inter-carrier global video conferencing network exchange

  A new consortium of operators will make inter-carrier B2B video as simple as phone calls by stitching together a global video conferencing network to form a private exchange.

• June 09, 2011 09 Jun'11

  Why TRILL won't work for data center network architecture

  TRILL supporters say the protocol will enable multi-pathing in new data center network architectures, but Fast Packet blogger Anjan Venkatramani explains why it won't work.

• June 08, 2011 08 Jun'11

  WAN managers share their IPv6 migration strategies on World IPv6 Day

  SearchEnterpriseWAN.com asked WAN managers about where they stand today with their IPv6 migration strategies as well as their thoughts on World IPv6 Day.

• June 08, 2011 08 Jun'11

  Finding IPv6-capable network appliances

  IPv6-capable network appliances are few and far between, especially WAN optimization accelerators. Find out in this Q&A why that is and what features to look for.

• June 08, 2011 08 Jun'11

  What World IPv6 Day is all about

  Learn what World IPv6 Day is, what it will accomplish and why it matters to enterprise network engineers and managers dealing with the new Internet Protocol version 6.

• June 06, 2011 06 Jun'11

  Rethinking data center network connectivity for new architectures

  Liberty Mutual networking head Jeffrey Gray found that rethinking data center network connectivity was key to achieving successful data center network redesign.

• June 03, 2011 03 Jun'11

  When WAN replication process lags, WAN optimization helps it catch up

  Even with a dedicated link for backup, one credit union's nightly WAN replication never kept up with the data load. WAN optimization shaved that cycle down from day to hours.

• June 02, 2011 02 Jun'11

  Schools upgrade wireless LANs for iPad-in-the-classroom programs

  School districts that adopt iPad-in-the-classroom programs must upgrade their wireless LAN technology in order to support the new mobile devices.

• June 02, 2011 02 Jun'11

  Virtualization for disaster recovery offers flexibility

  Utilizing virtualization for disaster recovery may solve issues quicker. One team tried disaster recovery with server virtualization to cut processes and increase productivity.

• June 01, 2011 01 Jun'11

  Cisco as managed services provider?

  Cisco promises it won't be the next Amazon EC2. Really. Execs have repeatedly said this year that the company would not become a hosted applications or infrastructure provider. Instead, they say ...

• June 01, 2011 01 Jun'11

  Top five virtualization problems: Virtualization capacity planning

  Fast Packet blogger Josh Stephens says a lack of virtualization capacity planning is one of the top-five virtualization problems that must be addressed.

• May 27, 2011 27 May'11

  Interop 2011 Las Vegas recap: Wide area network news

  Find out what happened around wide area network (WAN) technology in this Interop 2011 Las Vegas recap.

• May 27, 2011 27 May'11

  FCoE or iSCSI? Doesn’t matter! It’s about the Ethernet

  Some question the path to network convergence - is it through FCoE or iSCSI? Either way, preparing the existing infrastructure will be key to a healthy network environment.

• May 26, 2011 26 May'11

  Verizon LTE rollout: CTO talks outage, AT&T/T-Mobile, Wi-Fi offload

  Verizon CTO Tony Melone told reporters at TIA 2011: Inside the Network that Verizon's LTE rollout will handle whatever subscribers throw at the network.

• May 26, 2011 26 May'11

  How to move to IPv6

  Learn how to move to IPv6 with these steps provided by ARIN president and CEO John Curran from his Interop Las Vegas 2011 session, 'How do we finally get to IPv6?'

• May 25, 2011 25 May'11

  New cloud-based network labs from Juniper and Cisco a good start

  Juniper's Junosphere and Cisco Learning Labs offer broader access to network gear firmware, but engineers want something they can run locally, much like illicit router emulator software.

• May 24, 2011 24 May'11

  Is OpenFlow networking bunk? What vendors don't want to discuss

  OpenFlow networking may offer programmable switching in distributed networks, but there are drawbacks, including the fact that someone has to develop using the specification.

• May 20, 2011 20 May'11

  InteropNet can deploy IPv6, and you should too

  At Interop Las Vegas 2011, lead network engineer Glenn Evans of InteropNet—the network that supports the conference—learned to deploy IPv6. See what he learned in this Q&A.

• May 19, 2011 19 May'11

  Police use outdoor wireless mesh network for IP surveillance

  With a pair of grants, the Seattle Police Department plans to upgrade its outdoor wireless mesh network to 802.11n for IP video surveillance.

• May 19, 2011 19 May'11

  Silver Peak integrates with EMC VPLEX Geo for private clouds

  Silver Peak has integrated its wide area network (WAN) optimization technology with EMC VPLEX Geo products to optimize traffic between virtual data centers.

• May 18, 2011 18 May'11

  Rumor-mongering: Cisco dumping Linksys?

  Is Cisco dumping the Linksys home networking brand? It depends on who you talk to. Cisco Systems is giving up on attacking every market adjacency and trying to sharpen its focus on enterprise ...

• May 18, 2011 18 May'11

  Breakthrough WAN technologies that will change your company's network

  At Interop Las Vegas 2011, moderator Jim Metzler hosted a panel of five vendors creating breakthrough WAN technologies that will change the way you create and manage your network.

• May 17, 2011 17 May'11

  Wading through the FCoE and data center network fabric hype

  At Interop 2011, networking vendors addressed data center network fabric hype and other overly bloated marketing buzzwords like FCoE, TRILL and Shortest Path Bridging.

• May 16, 2011 16 May'11

  Networking virtualization software and OpenFlow take hold

  Network virtualization software was all the buzz at Interop 2011, from OpenFlow and software-defined networking to virtual network appliances for optimization.

• May 12, 2011 12 May'11

  Backbone operators see IPv6 connectivity demand up, but little traffic

  Internet backbone operators anecdotally report rising demand from carrier customers for IPv6 connectivity, but it's unclear when large amounts of traffic will materialize.

• May 12, 2011 12 May'11

  OpenFlow your network!

  With the OpenFlow specification network, engineers remotely run their control plane, closely guiding network behavior for better cloud network automation and a multivendor fabric.

• May 12, 2011 12 May'11

  OpenFlow specification emerges: Rise of the software-defined network

  OpenFlow switches and networks were all the rage at Interop 2011, indicating the rise of the software-defined network. But what exactly does that mean?

• May 12, 2011 12 May'11

  Alcatel-Lucent customer shares WLAN access solution at Interop 2011

  At Interop 2011, Alcatel-Lucent education customer Mark McWhinnie shares his experiences with a unique WLAN access solution utilized in Alberta, Canada.

• May 12, 2011 12 May'11

  Cloud-based disaster recovery shapes up

  Some companies don't want to move their core apps to the cloud, but they're willing to try cloud-based disaster recovery. Vembu's StoreGrid offers cloud backup for storage.

• May 12, 2011 12 May'11

  For control freaks: Cloud WAN optimization

  WAN managers need control of their applications when they leverage hybrid cloud scenarios, so Akamai and Riverbed have partnered to offer up cloud WAN optimization.

• May 12, 2011 12 May'11

  Who needs branch office staff with cloud-based WLAN controllers?

  Cisco's new cloud-based WLAN controller lets networking teams manage thousands of access points across hundreds of branch offices from one centralized data center.

• May 12, 2011 12 May'11

  Third-party cloud management apps take hold

  Third-party cloud management tools are taking hold, offering users the ability to manage and monitor virtual resources and capacity in cloud networks for self provisioning.

• May 11, 2011 11 May'11

  F5 Viprion chassis gets cheaper for the masses at Interop 2011

  At Interop 2011, F5 Networks unveiled a midrange F5 Viprion chassis application delivery controller and muli-tenancy capability through virtualization of its OS.

• May 11, 2011 11 May'11

  Interop 2011: Should enterprises invest in network testing equipment?

  At Interop 2011, network testing equipment vendors are taking aim at enterprises. As virtualization complicates the network, do testing vendors have a point?

• May 10, 2011 10 May'11

  HP switches, architecture launch: Revolution or market ploy?

  HP FlexNetwork includes new campus HP switches, data center reference architecture and expanded management. Fast Packet blogger Ivan Pepelnjak hits the high points for users.

• May 10, 2011 10 May'11

  Verizon and SAP partner on cloud-based mobile enterprise applications

  Verizon moved to increase its visibility to enterprises as a cloud provider by announcing a mobile enterprise applications platform and partnership with SAP at Interop 2011.

• May 10, 2011 10 May'11

  Interop 2011 keynotes: Where's the networking beef?

  Interop Las Vegas 2011 keynotes were heavy on cloud talk, but light on what counts for engineers: beefy networking news. HP and Citrix brought a little nutrition to the table.

• May 10, 2011 10 May'11

  Vendors aim to improve SaaS performance with cloud WAN optimization

  Vendors announced plans this week at Interop 2011 to beef up their cloud WAN optimization products, including a partnership between Riverbed and Akamai to tackle SaaS performance.

• May 10, 2011 10 May'11

  Cisco branch networks simplified with cloud-managed WLAN and security

  Get ready for simplified Cisco branch networks. At Interop 2011, Cisco announced a cloud-based WLAN controller that manages APs across hundreds of branch networks.

• May 10, 2011 10 May'11

  Cisco nabs Juniper QFabric architect David Yen

  Juniper QFabric architect David Yen jumped ship to head up Cisco's data center business, including UCS and Nexus lines. It's a sign the Cisco reorganization is well under way.

• May 09, 2011 09 May'11

  New HP campus core switches and architecture aim for a flat LAN

  At Interop 2011, HP will push new campus core switches and an architecture that takes the enterprise LAN flat, but it will not announce a data center network fabric.

• May 09, 2011 09 May'11

  Cisco CIO to enterprise network managers: Think like service providers

  At Interop Las Vegas 2011, Cisco CIO Rebecca Jacoby will bypass subjects like switching and routing, instead talking private cloud and delivering measurable services.

• May 09, 2011 09 May'11

  Interop Las Vegas 2011: Special news coverage

  Keep up with the news from Interop 2011. Read about data center network design, cloud networking, virtualization, dynamic service delivery, wireless LANs, and more.

• May 06, 2011 06 May'11

  Best WAN monitoring metric: Flows or packets? Riverbed says both

  WAN monitoring tools examine network flows or packets, but rarely both. Riverbed is integrating Wireshark into its Cascade appliance to provide end-to-end visibility.

• May 05, 2011 05 May'11

  How to convert IPv4 to IPv6: A network architect’s view

  Deciding when and how to convert IPv4 to IPv6, service providers face numerous technical and business issues; find out what matters most in this Q&A.

• May 05, 2011 05 May'11

  InteropNet blends cutting-edge technologies with network needs

  In order to meet the needs of the Interop Las Vegas 2011 attendees, speakers and vendors, InteropNet must balance between practicality and the year's cutting-edge technologies.

• May 05, 2011 05 May'11

  Interop 2011: Juniper data center fabric changes the network paradigm

  At Interop Las Vegas 2011, Juniper data center chief David Yen will explain the six elements of a real network fabric (and how some networking vendors offer imposters).

• May 05, 2011 05 May'11

  Will a new HP Networking data center strategy emerge at Interop 2011?

  Attendees may hear about a new HP Networking data center strategy at Interop Las Vegas 2011. Will new technology mean HP Networking's recent growth is sustainable?

• May 05, 2011 05 May'11

  InteropNet addresses unique challenges with cloud and new DNS

  To address the unique challenges and demands of running the Interop network, InteropNet's lead engineer embraces a new DNS and remote cloud environment for Internet connectivity.

• May 05, 2011 05 May'11

  Interop 2011 wireless and mobility: From tablets to gigabit WLAN

  In this Q&A, Interop 2011 wireless and mobility track chair Craig Mathias offers perspective on large-scale wireless LAN deployments, the rise of tablets and gigabit WLAN.

• May 04, 2011 04 May'11

  Networking trends spur drastic change on Interop 2011 agenda

  Why is Interop 2011 so critical to your career? This Q&A with Dr. Jim Metzler explains how rapid technology change is creating new networking trends.

• April 28, 2011 28 Apr'11

  Replacing hardware-based network appliances with virtual appliances

  With virtual appliances, enterprises can move network services from dedicated network appliance hardware into the virtual environment.

• April 27, 2011 27 Apr'11

  Why should you deploy an IPv6 internal network now?

  Oracle's senior network engineer encourages businesses to deploy an IPv6 internal network in tandem with an external one to save companies headaches and extra costs.

• April 26, 2011 26 Apr'11

  Force10 creates distributed core for new data center network fabric

  A new data center network fabric from Force10 Networks offers a 2 RU switch that customers can deploy in large numbers as a "distributed core."

• April 26, 2011 26 Apr'11

  Virtualization demands a full IT infrastructure audit

  In order to implement virtualization, enterprises must go beyond old-school network documentation for a full IT infrastructure audit that shows resources across silos.

• April 25, 2011 25 Apr'11

  Why prepare for IPv6 now?

  If your business hasn't begun moving to the new Internet protocol, then you're already too late, according to expert Scott Hogg. Learn why enterprises should prepare for IPv6 now.

• April 25, 2011 25 Apr'11

  2011 IPv6 Summit from the Rocky Mountain IPv6 Task Force (RMv6TF)

  Get conference coverage from the Rocky Mountain IPv6 Task Force's (RMv6TFs) 2011 IPv6 Summit to learn what's going on with the Internet Protocol version 6.

• April 25, 2011 25 Apr'11

  IPv6 learning: What enterprises need to know before migrating

  Find out what makes learning IPv6 difficult for enterprises and what they should know about migrating to the new protocol, from Rocky Mountain IPv6 Task Force Chairman Scott Hogg.

• April 22, 2011 22 Apr'11

  Does unified communications require special WAN monitoring tools?

  Standard WAN monitoring tools don't give ample visibility into unified communications traffic, forcing WAN managers to put their trust in QoS and wait until something breaks.

• April 21, 2011 21 Apr'11

  Rocky Mountain IPv6 Summit fosters IPv6 training and other conferences

  The Rocky Mountain IPv6 Summit gives attendees IPv6 training on how to transition to the new protocol. Learn where to find IPv6 classes and other conferences in 2011.

• April 20, 2011 20 Apr'11

  A new Cisco network management strategy: Cisco Prime

  Cisco Prime, the new Cisco network management strategy and brand, comes with lots of promises about interconnected management products alongside hardware and support services.

• April 14, 2011 14 Apr'11

  Network path analysis aids firewall management, troubleshooting

  Athena PathFinder's network path analysis capabilities can show how firewall, router and switch configurations affect packet flow through a network.

• April 13, 2011 13 Apr'11

  With CenturyLink-Qwest merger done, No. 3 telco targets AT&T and Verizon

  CenturyLink tells SearchTelecom.com how the completion of the CenturyLink-Qwest merger has made the combined company more competitive in selling IT services.

• April 13, 2011 13 Apr'11

  Mobile WAN optimization allows AutoCAD users to work from home

  An interior design firm deployed mobile WAN optimization to ensure its power users don't saturate VPN tunnels and make the WAN unusable for everyone who wasn't using AutoCAD.

• April 13, 2011 13 Apr'11

  Cisco ASA firewall advice: Using ASA 8.4 for stateful failover in DRP

  In his series offering Cisco ASA firewall advice, Fast Packet blogger Brandon Carroll explains the new Cisco ASA 8.4 feature, Stateful Failover with Dynamic Routing Protocols.

• April 08, 2011 08 Apr'11

  Virtualization security plan: Replacing physical separation

  The New Mexico Human Services Department implemented a virtualization security plan that ensures security of core applications running on virtual machines.

• April 07, 2011 07 Apr'11

  New modular campus edge switches feature app-smart ASICs

  I'm cleaning out my reporter's notebook, including a briefing I recently had with Enterasys Networks. Enterasys has launched a new family of modular campus edge switches with its home-grown, ...

• April 07, 2011 07 Apr'11

  SIP trunking services growth a bust for ILECs, a boom for other telcos

  SIP trunking services revenue more than doubled over the past year. ILECs see the growth as cannibalized revenue but some SIP trunking service providers see opportunity.

• April 06, 2011 06 Apr'11

  Cisco's troubles: Start talking to more network engineers

  Reuters got its hands on an internal memo that Cisco CEO John Chambers emailed to all of Cisco's employees, a memo that was possibly meant to leak into the media and to Cisco's customers. Mission ...