If your computer is not connecting to the internet, these six easy steps will get your internet up and running.
1.Go to your Start Menu.
2.Click on Run.
3.Type CMD then click enter.
4.At the C: prompt type IPCONFIG.
5.Look to see if your IP: is connected. It should say something like:192.168.17.4.
6.Type IPCONFIG/ RENEW.
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Monday, August 28, 2006
Preparing for a computer crashes
For many of us losing all of our information due to a computer crash would be the worst and devastating thing that could ever happen, not to mention if this would happen to any business owner. But the good news is that preventing the potential disasters of unexpected data loss is as easy as storing important information in multiple areas.
To help you not to lose your important data, we'll:
Show you the different options you have at your disposal to back-up your data.
Issue a list of tips to help keep your data continuously safe and sound.
Most of us don't realize how vulnerable our data -- or our midterm thesis, for example -- is until we lose it. But if you keep a backup copy of your work, you'll be able to stop losing sleep over the fear of hardware failure. Backing up data on a regular basis ensures that personal documents, photos of "Kodak moments" and other important files are secure in the event of a technology crash. Follow these quick back up tips and you'll be able to rest easily.
Backup Methods
The most basic method of backup uses software that will copy requested information to a different part of the hard drive for safe-keeping. Unfortunately, when this hard drive fails, both instances of the data may be lost. More advanced software will transfer requested data to a separate type of media (ex. CD/DVD, external hard drive, USB flash drive, Mirra). For even greater security, store this backup media in a different room or building. Online backup, also known as "cloud" backup, securely copies data through the Internet, to be kept on secure storage areas. With authentication (username and password), this data can be retrieved through the web at any time.
Backup Recommendations Create a checklist
Determine which files and folders should be saved. Ensure that the most important files are backed up first. The My Documents folder, commonly found on the Windows desktop, usually contains personal photos, music, videos and office documents. You can also locate My Documents by clicking on the Start button.
Create a schedule
Depending on how often your information is modified or added to, repetition is important. Consumers may want to backup important information once a week. Small businesses may require daily backups. Most software backup solutions can be programmed with a consistent backup calendar.
To help you not to lose your important data, we'll:
Show you the different options you have at your disposal to back-up your data.
Issue a list of tips to help keep your data continuously safe and sound.
Most of us don't realize how vulnerable our data -- or our midterm thesis, for example -- is until we lose it. But if you keep a backup copy of your work, you'll be able to stop losing sleep over the fear of hardware failure. Backing up data on a regular basis ensures that personal documents, photos of "Kodak moments" and other important files are secure in the event of a technology crash. Follow these quick back up tips and you'll be able to rest easily.
Backup Methods
The most basic method of backup uses software that will copy requested information to a different part of the hard drive for safe-keeping. Unfortunately, when this hard drive fails, both instances of the data may be lost. More advanced software will transfer requested data to a separate type of media (ex. CD/DVD, external hard drive, USB flash drive, Mirra). For even greater security, store this backup media in a different room or building. Online backup, also known as "cloud" backup, securely copies data through the Internet, to be kept on secure storage areas. With authentication (username and password), this data can be retrieved through the web at any time.
Backup Recommendations Create a checklist
Determine which files and folders should be saved. Ensure that the most important files are backed up first. The My Documents folder, commonly found on the Windows desktop, usually contains personal photos, music, videos and office documents. You can also locate My Documents by clicking on the Start button.
Create a schedule
Depending on how often your information is modified or added to, repetition is important. Consumers may want to backup important information once a week. Small businesses may require daily backups. Most software backup solutions can be programmed with a consistent backup calendar.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Network Troubleshoot
If you experience any trouble with your wireless network, please read and follow these instructions. Many times following this advice can solve your problems:
Problem: Cannot access network/internet from any computer on the network? Solution: Power down all computers on the network. Unplug both the cable modem and router. Wait a few minutes. Plug in the cable modem. Wait until the lights on the cable modem stop flashing. This could take up to a minute. After the lights stop flashing on the cable modem, plug the router back in. Again, wait until the lights stop flashing on the router. Power on any computer on the network. This is known as power cycling your modem and this can often restore connectivity.
Problem: Cannot access network from one computer when all other computers work fine? Solution: Try shutting down the computer and restarting. If the computer is a Laptop try moving it closer to the Access Point. If this solves the problem you are having signal interference, which can be caused, by many things including leaded glass and metal reinforced concrete walls or floors or simply your computer is to far away from the Access Point.
Problem: How do I boost my wireless signal to a weak area of the house? Solution: Buy a wireless repeater. These devices allow you to extend the wireless networking signal much farther from the original base station. Best Buy sells them for less than $100.
Problem: I have a 2.4 GHz wireless telephone; will it interfere with my wireless system? Solution: 2 .4 GHz wireless phones can cause interference, with your wireless network. Normally symptoms will be sudden loss of wireless connectivity when the phone is in use or drastically reduced speeds. If any of these things occur you can try changing the channel on your phone.
Hang up the phone and pick it up again. This will usually force the phone to use a different channel. Some phones have a "CHANNEL" button near the keypad, allowing you to reset the channel used by the phone.
Problem: Cannot access network/internet from any computer on the network? Solution: Power down all computers on the network. Unplug both the cable modem and router. Wait a few minutes. Plug in the cable modem. Wait until the lights on the cable modem stop flashing. This could take up to a minute. After the lights stop flashing on the cable modem, plug the router back in. Again, wait until the lights stop flashing on the router. Power on any computer on the network. This is known as power cycling your modem and this can often restore connectivity.
Problem: Cannot access network from one computer when all other computers work fine? Solution: Try shutting down the computer and restarting. If the computer is a Laptop try moving it closer to the Access Point. If this solves the problem you are having signal interference, which can be caused, by many things including leaded glass and metal reinforced concrete walls or floors or simply your computer is to far away from the Access Point.
Problem: How do I boost my wireless signal to a weak area of the house? Solution: Buy a wireless repeater. These devices allow you to extend the wireless networking signal much farther from the original base station. Best Buy sells them for less than $100.
Problem: I have a 2.4 GHz wireless telephone; will it interfere with my wireless system? Solution: 2 .4 GHz wireless phones can cause interference, with your wireless network. Normally symptoms will be sudden loss of wireless connectivity when the phone is in use or drastically reduced speeds. If any of these things occur you can try changing the channel on your phone.
Hang up the phone and pick it up again. This will usually force the phone to use a different channel. Some phones have a "CHANNEL" button near the keypad, allowing you to reset the channel used by the phone.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Computer Viruses, Worms And Trojans Explained
Fighting viruses and getting rid of them is big business right now. The first step is knowing just what the enemy is.
THE ENEMY - Hackers and Crackers
Computer geeks say that there is a difference between hackers and crackers. Crackers do damage to systems they break into while hackers just want to see how everything works. We'll use the more common term of hacker. Originally the term hacker was someone who made furniture with the use of an axe.
A virus is "malware" for your computer. This is a term that covers all kinds of software that is malicious. The most common types of malware are Trojans, worms, and viruses.
VIRUSES
Viruses are often hidden inside of other programs, for example installation programs that arrive to you through email attachments. When you run this host program the virus is executed. When the virus is in your computer memory it will be able to do a lot of damage such as infecting other computer programs.
Once the infection phase of the virus is complete the next stage begins: the destructive phase. Viruses will wait for a certain trigger, such as a date or the number of times that the virus has been copied, before the payload is delivered. The payload can be as simple as messages all the way to the deletion of files to the destruction of your operating system.
When viruses were first created they were often distributed on a floppy disk. As the Internet has grown, email and file downloads are the best way for viruses to be passed. Email can have attachments that can contain any type of computer file. Executable files can be loaded with viruses and therefore you shouldn't run them unless you're sure that they are virus free.
WORMS
Worms are much like viruses because they are self-copying. They can reproduce across multiple networks without human aid, such as through the sending of emails. Worms, however, don't need an executable program in order to be passed along.
A worm can affect a computer network more than it can infect computers that are on that network. Because they self-copy they can overload the resources on a network. This can cause slow downs in the speed of data transfers by using a large amount of bandwidth...more bandwidth than is needed for normal network traffic. Any network that routes traffic on the Internet is simply known as software and hardware that is specialized. Both software and hardware can be bothered by malware.
A worm can be created to carry payloads by using an installation program through the backdoor. A backdoor is an access point into the computer that is hidden. The worm uses the backdoor and ignores the usual procedure for login. Backdoors are often used by spammers so that they can send junk email.
TROJAN HORSES
A Trojan horse is another kind of malware. A Trojan horse is a computer program that acts as though it will do one thing when it will actually do something different. This term comes from the story of Troy, a city which was deceived by the Greeks to get into the inner city undetected. A Trojan horse can't replicate itself the way viruses and worms can.
A Trojan horse can be hidden in software that is otherwise useful. When a Trojan horse starts it can do such things as corrupt files, install backdoors, erase data, and keep track of keystrokes. This information will enable hackers to steal your personal information such as passwords and credit card numbers.
COMBATING MALWARE
In this series we will talk about what you can do to fight malware. Until then it's important to just be passive and not expect that your computer problems will be taken care of by someone else. Combating viruses needs the involvement of users, webmasters, and software vendors.
THE ENEMY - Hackers and Crackers
Computer geeks say that there is a difference between hackers and crackers. Crackers do damage to systems they break into while hackers just want to see how everything works. We'll use the more common term of hacker. Originally the term hacker was someone who made furniture with the use of an axe.
A virus is "malware" for your computer. This is a term that covers all kinds of software that is malicious. The most common types of malware are Trojans, worms, and viruses.
VIRUSES
Viruses are often hidden inside of other programs, for example installation programs that arrive to you through email attachments. When you run this host program the virus is executed. When the virus is in your computer memory it will be able to do a lot of damage such as infecting other computer programs.
Once the infection phase of the virus is complete the next stage begins: the destructive phase. Viruses will wait for a certain trigger, such as a date or the number of times that the virus has been copied, before the payload is delivered. The payload can be as simple as messages all the way to the deletion of files to the destruction of your operating system.
When viruses were first created they were often distributed on a floppy disk. As the Internet has grown, email and file downloads are the best way for viruses to be passed. Email can have attachments that can contain any type of computer file. Executable files can be loaded with viruses and therefore you shouldn't run them unless you're sure that they are virus free.
WORMS
Worms are much like viruses because they are self-copying. They can reproduce across multiple networks without human aid, such as through the sending of emails. Worms, however, don't need an executable program in order to be passed along.
A worm can affect a computer network more than it can infect computers that are on that network. Because they self-copy they can overload the resources on a network. This can cause slow downs in the speed of data transfers by using a large amount of bandwidth...more bandwidth than is needed for normal network traffic. Any network that routes traffic on the Internet is simply known as software and hardware that is specialized. Both software and hardware can be bothered by malware.
A worm can be created to carry payloads by using an installation program through the backdoor. A backdoor is an access point into the computer that is hidden. The worm uses the backdoor and ignores the usual procedure for login. Backdoors are often used by spammers so that they can send junk email.
TROJAN HORSES
A Trojan horse is another kind of malware. A Trojan horse is a computer program that acts as though it will do one thing when it will actually do something different. This term comes from the story of Troy, a city which was deceived by the Greeks to get into the inner city undetected. A Trojan horse can't replicate itself the way viruses and worms can.
A Trojan horse can be hidden in software that is otherwise useful. When a Trojan horse starts it can do such things as corrupt files, install backdoors, erase data, and keep track of keystrokes. This information will enable hackers to steal your personal information such as passwords and credit card numbers.
COMBATING MALWARE
In this series we will talk about what you can do to fight malware. Until then it's important to just be passive and not expect that your computer problems will be taken care of by someone else. Combating viruses needs the involvement of users, webmasters, and software vendors.
Thursday, August 10, 2006
You Don’t Need To Pay For IT!
IT Support has never been such a minefield. With new technologies always entering the marketplace it is now possible to have a corporate-standard IT system without having the financial headache of purchasing a server or even software such as Microsoft Office. For one small monthly payment, companies with 1-50 users can have their whole IT infrastructure based in a secure location, safe in the knowledge that should their office be burgled, damaged or even burned down, the only thing required to be reconnected to your office system and data is a new PC, Laptop, Thin Client or any internet-connected terminal such as in Internet Cafes. This is perfect for disaster recovery.
As your IT system is centrally managed in a safe and secure hosting environment, your IT support requirements are minimal or non-existent due to the power of remote IT support where an IT engineer or technician can actually “take over” control of your mouse and keyboard actions from anywhere in the world. This is a very crucial factor as you can even be taught and shown how to perform a particular task and it also removes the usual time-delay involved when requiring “hands-on” IT support. With a remote desktop your life will be much easier.
There are a great many advantages with remotely-hosted IT & network systems and another great benefit is the fact that you can literally work from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. You could be working on a train via wireless or 3G, sending and retrieving documents via Blackberry devices or PDAs, catching up with work on the beach, the list is just endless. As access to your data is mobile, you do not have to worry about synchronising data and carrying data on USB flash drives etc, this all saves you time and ultimately money and the freedom and mobility you will gain from such a system will only benefit your company and it’s staff, allowing for home-working and emergency access 24 hours a day.
Microsoft licensing is a major change that has occurred over the past 18 months and it is no longer necessary for companies to spend vast sums of money on hardware, software and server-related network support. In fact, companies no longer have to pay large sums of money for Microsoft Office, Adobe, Kaspersky and a growing list of software suppliers thanks to a change in the way licensing can be paid for. A great benefit of this is that you can pay monthly for a software product and receive free upgrades when new releases or patches become available.
As your IT system is centrally managed in a safe and secure hosting environment, your IT support requirements are minimal or non-existent due to the power of remote IT support where an IT engineer or technician can actually “take over” control of your mouse and keyboard actions from anywhere in the world. This is a very crucial factor as you can even be taught and shown how to perform a particular task and it also removes the usual time-delay involved when requiring “hands-on” IT support. With a remote desktop your life will be much easier.
There are a great many advantages with remotely-hosted IT & network systems and another great benefit is the fact that you can literally work from anywhere in the world as long as you have an internet connection. You could be working on a train via wireless or 3G, sending and retrieving documents via Blackberry devices or PDAs, catching up with work on the beach, the list is just endless. As access to your data is mobile, you do not have to worry about synchronising data and carrying data on USB flash drives etc, this all saves you time and ultimately money and the freedom and mobility you will gain from such a system will only benefit your company and it’s staff, allowing for home-working and emergency access 24 hours a day.
Microsoft licensing is a major change that has occurred over the past 18 months and it is no longer necessary for companies to spend vast sums of money on hardware, software and server-related network support. In fact, companies no longer have to pay large sums of money for Microsoft Office, Adobe, Kaspersky and a growing list of software suppliers thanks to a change in the way licensing can be paid for. A great benefit of this is that you can pay monthly for a software product and receive free upgrades when new releases or patches become available.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Cableorganizer.com First To Carry Platinum Tool's Next-Generation Hand Tool The EZ-E Punchdown
CABLEORGANIZER.COM FIRST TO CARRY PLATINUM TOOL’S
NEXT-GENERATION ELECTRONIC HAND TOOL, THE EZ-E PUNCHDOWN
Advanced hand tool’s electronics offer audible and visual feedback
Deerfield Beach, Fla. – Cableorganizer.com, the leader online retailer for cable management and hand tool solutions, recently announced that it will be the first retailer to carry the next generation of hand tool: Platinum Tool’s new EZ-E Punchdown. The EZ-E Punchdown is the first punch down hand tool to incorporate an electronics package into the unit, allowing for audible and visual confirmation of a successful termination.
The EZ-E Punchdown hand tool also features an adjustable force thumb wheel for selecting the optimal punch down force for Insulation Displacement Contacts (IDC). The new features make termination simple: turn the thumb wheel to the desired force setting, seat wire in IDC block, listen and look for sound and light. Once sound and light are activated, the correct force has been achieved and the wire is terminated correctly.
This next-generation punch down tool is powered with a single 9V battery. The industrial-strength housing protects the unit from physical damage and vibration. It’s the ultimate hand tool for all your electrical, networking, cabling, and telecommunications needs.
In addition to the Platinum Tools EZ-E Punchdown tool, Cableorganizer.com offers a wide range of hand tools, including models from Klein, Greenlee and HellermanTyton, as well as hand tool kits, benders, installation and termination tools, hole cutters, toolboxes, and more. Cableorganizer.com is the premier online store for cable management systems and hand tools, increasing safety, performance and protection of cables, and offers tips and “how-to” guides to get the most out of your hand tools.
NEXT-GENERATION ELECTRONIC HAND TOOL, THE EZ-E PUNCHDOWN
Advanced hand tool’s electronics offer audible and visual feedback
Deerfield Beach, Fla. – Cableorganizer.com, the leader online retailer for cable management and hand tool solutions, recently announced that it will be the first retailer to carry the next generation of hand tool: Platinum Tool’s new EZ-E Punchdown. The EZ-E Punchdown is the first punch down hand tool to incorporate an electronics package into the unit, allowing for audible and visual confirmation of a successful termination.
The EZ-E Punchdown hand tool also features an adjustable force thumb wheel for selecting the optimal punch down force for Insulation Displacement Contacts (IDC). The new features make termination simple: turn the thumb wheel to the desired force setting, seat wire in IDC block, listen and look for sound and light. Once sound and light are activated, the correct force has been achieved and the wire is terminated correctly.
This next-generation punch down tool is powered with a single 9V battery. The industrial-strength housing protects the unit from physical damage and vibration. It’s the ultimate hand tool for all your electrical, networking, cabling, and telecommunications needs.
In addition to the Platinum Tools EZ-E Punchdown tool, Cableorganizer.com offers a wide range of hand tools, including models from Klein, Greenlee and HellermanTyton, as well as hand tool kits, benders, installation and termination tools, hole cutters, toolboxes, and more. Cableorganizer.com is the premier online store for cable management systems and hand tools, increasing safety, performance and protection of cables, and offers tips and “how-to” guides to get the most out of your hand tools.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Keep Your Data Safe Behing a Firewall
Firewalls
Computer viruses! Worms! E-mail viruses! Trojan Horses! The media is always full of stories about computer viruses infecting computers all over the world, or companies scrambling to fix security holes in their software by releasing security updates. What can businesses or individuals to protect their computer? Installing a firewall may be one answer.
The Importance of Having a Firewall
While the first computer viruses were transported from computer to computer by floppy disks, computer viruses today can cover the globe in the blink of an eye over the Internet. And they’ve probably made it to your computer. You have likely had to deal with the consequences of spyware and other malicious programs that had have crawled onto your computer while you were browsing the Internet. And as a consequences, you’ve probably spent hours and hours trying to get rid of all the spyware and other malicious programs that have taken up residence on your computer.
Even if you think your computer is viruses free, you are probably wrong. That is why spyware and viruses are so dangerous; you could be using your computer with no idea that they’re there.
Firewalls Will Protect your Computer
A firewall puts a wall between your home network and the Internet. Just like a real firewall keep fire from spreading from one area to another, a software firewall tries to keep computer viruses from spreading form the Internet onto your home computer or home network.
The firewall itself is a piece of software that is usually run on your router or cable moden. By attaching itself to this hardware, the firewall is the first thing any incoming traffic from the Internet meets.
The firewall’s job is to act is to filter all of the traffic from the Internet that comes onto your home network. Whenever a network packet tries to come onto your home network, it has to make it by the firewall first. The firewall will analyse the packet to make sure it isn’t a viruses or some other undesirable communication. If the firewall gives it the all clear, it will let the packet continue on its journey to your home network.
How does a Firewall Know what Traffic is Good?
The firewall will use user-defined parameters and automatic parameters to decide whether the traffic should be let through or labelled dangerous and blocked. As the user, you could configure the firewall to block all traffic coming from a specific IP addresses. Obviously, you won’t be able to do this for all the malicious sites on the Internet – this list would be far, far too long!
For this reason, the firewall will automatically screen incoming traffic to make sure it corresponds to the kind of traffic you would want to receive by running it through a set of predetermined parameters. For instance, the firewall will usually let traffic sent from a website through to your computer, but it will not let someone remotely login to your computer.
No matter what software or hardware you use, you will always be putting your computer at risk when you connect it to the Internet. You can limit this risk as much as possible, however, by using a firewall. A firewall will let you access all the wonderful resources of the Internet without staying awake all night worrying about your home network.
Computer viruses! Worms! E-mail viruses! Trojan Horses! The media is always full of stories about computer viruses infecting computers all over the world, or companies scrambling to fix security holes in their software by releasing security updates. What can businesses or individuals to protect their computer? Installing a firewall may be one answer.
The Importance of Having a Firewall
While the first computer viruses were transported from computer to computer by floppy disks, computer viruses today can cover the globe in the blink of an eye over the Internet. And they’ve probably made it to your computer. You have likely had to deal with the consequences of spyware and other malicious programs that had have crawled onto your computer while you were browsing the Internet. And as a consequences, you’ve probably spent hours and hours trying to get rid of all the spyware and other malicious programs that have taken up residence on your computer.
Even if you think your computer is viruses free, you are probably wrong. That is why spyware and viruses are so dangerous; you could be using your computer with no idea that they’re there.
Firewalls Will Protect your Computer
A firewall puts a wall between your home network and the Internet. Just like a real firewall keep fire from spreading from one area to another, a software firewall tries to keep computer viruses from spreading form the Internet onto your home computer or home network.
The firewall itself is a piece of software that is usually run on your router or cable moden. By attaching itself to this hardware, the firewall is the first thing any incoming traffic from the Internet meets.
The firewall’s job is to act is to filter all of the traffic from the Internet that comes onto your home network. Whenever a network packet tries to come onto your home network, it has to make it by the firewall first. The firewall will analyse the packet to make sure it isn’t a viruses or some other undesirable communication. If the firewall gives it the all clear, it will let the packet continue on its journey to your home network.
How does a Firewall Know what Traffic is Good?
The firewall will use user-defined parameters and automatic parameters to decide whether the traffic should be let through or labelled dangerous and blocked. As the user, you could configure the firewall to block all traffic coming from a specific IP addresses. Obviously, you won’t be able to do this for all the malicious sites on the Internet – this list would be far, far too long!
For this reason, the firewall will automatically screen incoming traffic to make sure it corresponds to the kind of traffic you would want to receive by running it through a set of predetermined parameters. For instance, the firewall will usually let traffic sent from a website through to your computer, but it will not let someone remotely login to your computer.
No matter what software or hardware you use, you will always be putting your computer at risk when you connect it to the Internet. You can limit this risk as much as possible, however, by using a firewall. A firewall will let you access all the wonderful resources of the Internet without staying awake all night worrying about your home network.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Network security drives value
Many valuable business models depend vitally on secure networking. These business models include:
* Delivery of content (music, movies, TV, radio and interactive games);
* IP Network-enabled virtual enterprises, including work-at-home;
* E-commerce (retail, financial services, travel services and many transaction-oriented activities); and
* Messaging services such as e-mail and instant messaging.
Each model imposes its own unique security and performance requirements that influence economic success. Content delivery went nowhere until the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) was satisfied that the technology existed for secure content distribution. Network-enabled enterprise models are gaining favor now that IP traffic can be handled securely and privately in conformance with federal laws such as Gramm-Leach-Bliley and HIPPA.
Network security challenges include going beyond perimeter-based security, bad behavior by authorized applications, SPAM, patching, content filtering, vulnerability analysis and application traffic management.
Much existing security is centered on the enterprise firewall with the implicit understanding that those outside the perimeter (i.e., on the Internet) are bad while everyone on the inside is good. This model isn't sustainable even conceptually given the rapid virtualization of enterprise work and life styles. Security must support mobile or virtual employees and business partners as well as broad new device types such as SIP phones, Wi-Fi devices and 3G wireless systems.
Network-based security must also be personalized according to individual, application and role. For example, should the company treasurer have the same access to the funds payment system when using his PDA as when he is sitting at his desk?
Bad behavior by authorized applications is another challenge. Many new attacks use authorized ports as attack vehicles. E-mail is often used to penetrate network security defenses.
Keeping network security current is also a challenge. Mobile, distributed and virtual work styles aggravate this job because IT staff has less control over every workstation. Employees returning from a business trip, for example, may have become infected with a worm or Trojan while working at an airport hotspot. Technology for frequent, proactive penetration testing and vulnerability analysis can add an additional security layer.
Networking vendors are responding to these security challenges in three broad ways:
* Appliance-based software;
* Development of MSSPs (managed security service providers); and
* Integration of security services into network hardware, especially routers and load balancers.
Network security appliances provide an attractive balance between time to market for new security features and the high-performance of hardware-based systems. Recent appliance-based solutions offer application-level security, strong authentication, anti-SPAM, penetration testing, network admission control, wireless LAN authentication and Web access management.
By continuously analyzing security events across all subscribing customer networks, MSSPs can provide a higher level of network protection and support more specialized expertise than can even the largest single network operator. Open communication about security events across all the MSSP customers' networks also provides an information advantage because individual enterprises are loath to disclose they have been hacked because of resulting negative publicity.
Router vendors and vendors of data center products such as caching systems and server load balancers are adding network security features to their core products. This can be an attractive approach to network security because the network architecture is simplified and the approach is consistent with the longstanding trend in the electronics industry to leverage silicon to do more in the same box.
There is a large, growing opportunity to provide network security products and services. This opportunity is driven by the need to add security to the inherently insecure Internet, benefiting network-centric business models focused on content delivery, IP network-enabled virtual enterprise, e-commerce and messaging services.
Successful vendors of such products and services must be perceived as--and actually be--credible and trustworthy; provide customers with visibility into the security process; and provide broad, technically deep sales expertise and professional, educational services.
Michael Kennedy is co-founder and managing partner of Network Strategy Partners, LLC (NSP)--management consultants to the networking industry (mkennedy@nspllc.com).
* Delivery of content (music, movies, TV, radio and interactive games);
* IP Network-enabled virtual enterprises, including work-at-home;
* E-commerce (retail, financial services, travel services and many transaction-oriented activities); and
* Messaging services such as e-mail and instant messaging.
Each model imposes its own unique security and performance requirements that influence economic success. Content delivery went nowhere until the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) was satisfied that the technology existed for secure content distribution. Network-enabled enterprise models are gaining favor now that IP traffic can be handled securely and privately in conformance with federal laws such as Gramm-Leach-Bliley and HIPPA.
Network security challenges include going beyond perimeter-based security, bad behavior by authorized applications, SPAM, patching, content filtering, vulnerability analysis and application traffic management.
Much existing security is centered on the enterprise firewall with the implicit understanding that those outside the perimeter (i.e., on the Internet) are bad while everyone on the inside is good. This model isn't sustainable even conceptually given the rapid virtualization of enterprise work and life styles. Security must support mobile or virtual employees and business partners as well as broad new device types such as SIP phones, Wi-Fi devices and 3G wireless systems.
Network-based security must also be personalized according to individual, application and role. For example, should the company treasurer have the same access to the funds payment system when using his PDA as when he is sitting at his desk?
Bad behavior by authorized applications is another challenge. Many new attacks use authorized ports as attack vehicles. E-mail is often used to penetrate network security defenses.
Keeping network security current is also a challenge. Mobile, distributed and virtual work styles aggravate this job because IT staff has less control over every workstation. Employees returning from a business trip, for example, may have become infected with a worm or Trojan while working at an airport hotspot. Technology for frequent, proactive penetration testing and vulnerability analysis can add an additional security layer.
Networking vendors are responding to these security challenges in three broad ways:
* Appliance-based software;
* Development of MSSPs (managed security service providers); and
* Integration of security services into network hardware, especially routers and load balancers.
Network security appliances provide an attractive balance between time to market for new security features and the high-performance of hardware-based systems. Recent appliance-based solutions offer application-level security, strong authentication, anti-SPAM, penetration testing, network admission control, wireless LAN authentication and Web access management.
By continuously analyzing security events across all subscribing customer networks, MSSPs can provide a higher level of network protection and support more specialized expertise than can even the largest single network operator. Open communication about security events across all the MSSP customers' networks also provides an information advantage because individual enterprises are loath to disclose they have been hacked because of resulting negative publicity.
Router vendors and vendors of data center products such as caching systems and server load balancers are adding network security features to their core products. This can be an attractive approach to network security because the network architecture is simplified and the approach is consistent with the longstanding trend in the electronics industry to leverage silicon to do more in the same box.
There is a large, growing opportunity to provide network security products and services. This opportunity is driven by the need to add security to the inherently insecure Internet, benefiting network-centric business models focused on content delivery, IP network-enabled virtual enterprise, e-commerce and messaging services.
Successful vendors of such products and services must be perceived as--and actually be--credible and trustworthy; provide customers with visibility into the security process; and provide broad, technically deep sales expertise and professional, educational services.
Michael Kennedy is co-founder and managing partner of Network Strategy Partners, LLC (NSP)--management consultants to the networking industry (mkennedy@nspllc.com).
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
World Wide Packets Ethernet Access equipment upgrades fiber network in Washington
World Wide Packets, the leading provider of Ethernet Access Networking Solutions, announced that it has signed a contract with Port Blakely Communities to upgrade its Issaquah Highlands Fiber Network (HFN) from a data-only network to a bandwidth delivery system that supports both current and next-generation applications to the subscriber for the development's planned 3,200 homes. The initial contract calls for the immediate installation of World Wide Packets' LightningEdge switches in 1,500 existing homes as well as in "hub" locations throughout the development.
"Our new community network will allow us to keep up with the evolution of new content that can be delivered to homeowners. We wanted to be able to stay ahead of the curve and the rapid pace of the consumer electronics evolution," said Judd Kirk, CEO of Port Blakely Communities. "World Wide Packets' LightningEdge was the best solution because it has allowed us to scale with the growth of the development as well as offer a host of cutting-edge voice, video and data services that gives us a competitive advantage."
"The migration from simple downstream services such as Internet access to rich, peer-to-peer services is a natural one for fiber-based networks such as HFN," noted Bill Potter, President of the Issaquah Highlands Technical Advisory Group. "The benefits for homeowners are far-ranging from more choice and better pricing for local and long distance services to HD-quality movies on demand, as well as DVD-quality videoconferencing with schools, hospitals, and other local institutions. We are also partnering with local businesses to bring an HD experience from the fiber directly to new plasmas or LCDs located anywhere in the home."
"The deployment at Issaquah Highlands is another example that demonstrates the power of the World Wide Packets solution to deliver new services to customers using Active Ethernet as the catalyst," said Dave Curry, CEO of World Wide Packets. "The possibilities for residents at Issaquah Highlands is far-reaching. For example, we see homeowners' using HFN to learn network technologies and introducing creative media. Networks such as these will become part of the daily fabric of their lives and we are proud to be the enabling technology behind it."
"Our new community network will allow us to keep up with the evolution of new content that can be delivered to homeowners. We wanted to be able to stay ahead of the curve and the rapid pace of the consumer electronics evolution," said Judd Kirk, CEO of Port Blakely Communities. "World Wide Packets' LightningEdge was the best solution because it has allowed us to scale with the growth of the development as well as offer a host of cutting-edge voice, video and data services that gives us a competitive advantage."
"The migration from simple downstream services such as Internet access to rich, peer-to-peer services is a natural one for fiber-based networks such as HFN," noted Bill Potter, President of the Issaquah Highlands Technical Advisory Group. "The benefits for homeowners are far-ranging from more choice and better pricing for local and long distance services to HD-quality movies on demand, as well as DVD-quality videoconferencing with schools, hospitals, and other local institutions. We are also partnering with local businesses to bring an HD experience from the fiber directly to new plasmas or LCDs located anywhere in the home."
"The deployment at Issaquah Highlands is another example that demonstrates the power of the World Wide Packets solution to deliver new services to customers using Active Ethernet as the catalyst," said Dave Curry, CEO of World Wide Packets. "The possibilities for residents at Issaquah Highlands is far-reaching. For example, we see homeowners' using HFN to learn network technologies and introducing creative media. Networks such as these will become part of the daily fabric of their lives and we are proud to be the enabling technology behind it."
Friday, July 14, 2006
Networking The Home - Home Phone Network Alliance - Industry Trend or Event
Futurists have for many years said that someday we would be coming home to smart homes where the security system, PC and even kitchen appliances would be networked to provide home dwellers with a variety of advanced capabilities. Now, products based on an inexpensive home network standard running at 1 megabit-per-second (1Mbps) speed through common telephone wiring appear to be a matter of months away, just in time for the holiday season.
Last week the recently-established Home Phone Networking Alliance (HPNA) (EN, June 22) got another boost as Compaq disclosed that it has signed a 15-year license for the 1Mbps home HomeRun home networking technology from Tut and that it has joined AT&T Ventures, Itochu International and Microsoft as Tut investors and strategic partners.
The licensing agreement will allow Compaq to incorporate HomeRun technology into future products. Tut and Compaq will also engage in a number of cooperative marketing activities designed to encourage third parties to develop HomeRun-compatible products.
Craig Stouffer, VP of marketing at Tut Systems, said of the Compaq investment: "This is Compaq's one and only investment in the company. Why did they make the investment? Tut had the HomeRun technology last year. Originally HomeRun was designed to go to 2MHz. The problem is that (operating frequency) conflicts with various DSLs (digital subscriber lines)," Mr. Stouffer said.
Compaq, a supporter of U-ADSL (universal asynchronous digital subscriber line) technology made a request of Tut with regards to this potentially lucrative market.
"Compaq is one of the key promoters of U-ADSL and they said, you have this HomeRun stuff but it conflicts with U-ADSL. Compaq made a strong request that we readjust the technology to make sure it's compatible.
And Tut did so. Originally designed to run at 2MHz, Tut's HomeRun technology was boosted to run between 5.5MHz and 9.5MHz, centered on 7.5MHz in order to accommodate Compaq's request, a move that may have made Tut's future, according to Mr. Stouffer.
"It was a good move. We made the changes as part of the suggestion we do that and make Tut whole. There was impact to Tut initially in terms of time to market but it worked out, and that was the foundation of the investment," he said.
Mr. Stouffer also revealed that Tut recently filed to go public. "We have received about $40 million in venture capital and corporate money. Friday, (July 31) the company filed to go public."
The HPNA stepped into the spotlight just a month and-a-half-ago when 11 of the industry's leading lights formed a consortium to promote a new home networking system based on technology from Tut Systems. Founding members include: 3Com, AMD, AT&T Wireless, Compaq, Epigram, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Lucent Technologies, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems and Tut Systems. To date, only three have licensed Tut's technology: AMD, AT&T and Compaq but all of the others are said to be in the process of obtaining licenses, which are offered at a nominal fee.
The HPNA has been overwhelmed since then by an estimated (as of the end of last week) 150 requests for membership from companies around the globe. And it is likely that most of those membership applications will be accepted. According to Cyrus Namazi, HPNA chairman and product marketing manager for AMD, because the HPNA advocates an open standard it cannot refuse any candidate that meets the basic requirement of commitment to furthering the proposed HPNA standard.
"We've made some goals and milestones. I'm happy to report we seem to be on track in terms of the 1-megabit specification," Mr. Namazi said in an interview last week. He also revealed plans to set up a certification laboratory that will provide a "seal of approval" to OEMs developing products for the HPNA standard (see story, page one).
Test Lab Revealed
"The gist of it is to set up a technical center where OEM developers can take their products and test against a pre-defined battery of tests," Mr. Namazi said, adding that trials of the proposed specification are already under way in a large number of U.S. homes.
When asked whether the group will use existing tests or develop its own, he replied, "We are developing proprietary tests AND using industry standard tests. Ultimately, the goal is to develop a seal of approval that members of HomePNA can put on their products. The goal is to be ready by the time products are rolled out," at the end of this year, Mr. Namazi said.
Tut chairman and CTO Matt Taylor told Electronic News that HPNA differs from other recent enabling technologies such as the PCI (peripheral component interconnect) bus and the USB (universal serial bus) in that those technologies were created to solve a problem whereas the forthcoming HPNA specification is being crafted to head one off.
Last week the recently-established Home Phone Networking Alliance (HPNA) (EN, June 22) got another boost as Compaq disclosed that it has signed a 15-year license for the 1Mbps home HomeRun home networking technology from Tut and that it has joined AT&T Ventures, Itochu International and Microsoft as Tut investors and strategic partners.
The licensing agreement will allow Compaq to incorporate HomeRun technology into future products. Tut and Compaq will also engage in a number of cooperative marketing activities designed to encourage third parties to develop HomeRun-compatible products.
Craig Stouffer, VP of marketing at Tut Systems, said of the Compaq investment: "This is Compaq's one and only investment in the company. Why did they make the investment? Tut had the HomeRun technology last year. Originally HomeRun was designed to go to 2MHz. The problem is that (operating frequency) conflicts with various DSLs (digital subscriber lines)," Mr. Stouffer said.
Compaq, a supporter of U-ADSL (universal asynchronous digital subscriber line) technology made a request of Tut with regards to this potentially lucrative market.
"Compaq is one of the key promoters of U-ADSL and they said, you have this HomeRun stuff but it conflicts with U-ADSL. Compaq made a strong request that we readjust the technology to make sure it's compatible.
And Tut did so. Originally designed to run at 2MHz, Tut's HomeRun technology was boosted to run between 5.5MHz and 9.5MHz, centered on 7.5MHz in order to accommodate Compaq's request, a move that may have made Tut's future, according to Mr. Stouffer.
"It was a good move. We made the changes as part of the suggestion we do that and make Tut whole. There was impact to Tut initially in terms of time to market but it worked out, and that was the foundation of the investment," he said.
Mr. Stouffer also revealed that Tut recently filed to go public. "We have received about $40 million in venture capital and corporate money. Friday, (July 31) the company filed to go public."
The HPNA stepped into the spotlight just a month and-a-half-ago when 11 of the industry's leading lights formed a consortium to promote a new home networking system based on technology from Tut Systems. Founding members include: 3Com, AMD, AT&T Wireless, Compaq, Epigram, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, Lucent Technologies, Rockwell Semiconductor Systems and Tut Systems. To date, only three have licensed Tut's technology: AMD, AT&T and Compaq but all of the others are said to be in the process of obtaining licenses, which are offered at a nominal fee.
The HPNA has been overwhelmed since then by an estimated (as of the end of last week) 150 requests for membership from companies around the globe. And it is likely that most of those membership applications will be accepted. According to Cyrus Namazi, HPNA chairman and product marketing manager for AMD, because the HPNA advocates an open standard it cannot refuse any candidate that meets the basic requirement of commitment to furthering the proposed HPNA standard.
"We've made some goals and milestones. I'm happy to report we seem to be on track in terms of the 1-megabit specification," Mr. Namazi said in an interview last week. He also revealed plans to set up a certification laboratory that will provide a "seal of approval" to OEMs developing products for the HPNA standard (see story, page one).
Test Lab Revealed
"The gist of it is to set up a technical center where OEM developers can take their products and test against a pre-defined battery of tests," Mr. Namazi said, adding that trials of the proposed specification are already under way in a large number of U.S. homes.
When asked whether the group will use existing tests or develop its own, he replied, "We are developing proprietary tests AND using industry standard tests. Ultimately, the goal is to develop a seal of approval that members of HomePNA can put on their products. The goal is to be ready by the time products are rolled out," at the end of this year, Mr. Namazi said.
Tut chairman and CTO Matt Taylor told Electronic News that HPNA differs from other recent enabling technologies such as the PCI (peripheral component interconnect) bus and the USB (universal serial bus) in that those technologies were created to solve a problem whereas the forthcoming HPNA specification is being crafted to head one off.
Monday, July 10, 2006
How to Set Up a Wireless Home Network
There are a few different setup scenarios for wireless home networks, depending on whether you already have a modem and a wired router. In this step-by-step tutorial we'll assume that you already have a broadband connection with a cable or DSL modem but don't yet have a router, and that your computer is currently plugged directly into your modem. We will also assume you want to keep a desktop PC wired to the network and to set up either a notebook or a second desktop PC for wireless access. (It's a good idea to keep one of your PCs wired during configuration, in case security settings are lost in the process and you can't get back on the network.) You'll need to buy a wireless router, a wireless PCI card for your desktop PC, and a wireless PCMCIA card (also known as a PC Card) for your notebook.
1. Connect Your Wireless Router.
a. Turn off your cable modem and your wired PC.
b. Unplug the Ethernet cable from your cable modem and plug it into one of the four LAN ports on the back of the wireless router. The other end of the cable should remain connected to your PC.
c. Connect a second Ethernet cable between your modem's Ethernet port and the wireless router's WAN port. (The WAN port is separate from the four grouped LAN ports.)
d. Turn on the modem and wait for the status lights to indicate that it's connected to your service provider. This may take up to a minute.
e. Plug in the router. The status lights will blink as it goes through its own diagnostics; this may also take up to a minute.
f. Boot up your wired PC.
2. Configure Your Router
a. Refer to the router's printed quick-start guide, launch your Web browser, and type in the address indicated in the guide.
b. Follow the on-screen setup wizard, which should guide you step by step through the process.
c. Enable your router's security functions. The options will be WEP and WPA. (See page 88 for more information on enabling WPA.) Both will ask you to enter a key. Depending on your router's manufacturer, you may need to go to Advanced Settings to handle this step and the next two.
d. Change the default administrator's password, which is often known to hackers.
e. Change the SSID—the name you give your wireless network. Again, hackers know many of the default SSIDs and can use them to join your network.
3. Install a Wireless PCI Card in a Desktop PC
a. Refer to the card manufacturer's quick-start guide. If necessary, run the software installation program.
b. Shut down the PC.
c. Remove the cover.
d. Locate an available PCI slot and remove the corresponding slot cover from the back of the PC.
e. Carefully route the antenna through the open slot in the back of the PC, insert the card in the slot, and secure it. Replace the cover.
f. Power up the PC. It should recognize and enable the new hardware.
g. Go to the Control Panel, select Network, select Wireless Networking connection. Click on Properties. Click on Wireless Networking tab. Select the wireless networking name (see step 2e above). Click on Configure. Adjust your security settings to match those on your wireless router.
4. Install a Wireless PC Card in a Notebook PC
Many notebooks have built-in wireless cards. If yours doesn't, follow these instructions.
a. Follow steps "a" and "b" in number 3.
b. Plug your wireless PC Card into an available slot on the side of your notebook.
c. Follow steps "f" and "g" in number 3.
1. Connect Your Wireless Router.
a. Turn off your cable modem and your wired PC.
b. Unplug the Ethernet cable from your cable modem and plug it into one of the four LAN ports on the back of the wireless router. The other end of the cable should remain connected to your PC.
c. Connect a second Ethernet cable between your modem's Ethernet port and the wireless router's WAN port. (The WAN port is separate from the four grouped LAN ports.)
d. Turn on the modem and wait for the status lights to indicate that it's connected to your service provider. This may take up to a minute.
e. Plug in the router. The status lights will blink as it goes through its own diagnostics; this may also take up to a minute.
f. Boot up your wired PC.
2. Configure Your Router
a. Refer to the router's printed quick-start guide, launch your Web browser, and type in the address indicated in the guide.
b. Follow the on-screen setup wizard, which should guide you step by step through the process.
c. Enable your router's security functions. The options will be WEP and WPA. (See page 88 for more information on enabling WPA.) Both will ask you to enter a key. Depending on your router's manufacturer, you may need to go to Advanced Settings to handle this step and the next two.
d. Change the default administrator's password, which is often known to hackers.
e. Change the SSID—the name you give your wireless network. Again, hackers know many of the default SSIDs and can use them to join your network.
3. Install a Wireless PCI Card in a Desktop PC
a. Refer to the card manufacturer's quick-start guide. If necessary, run the software installation program.
b. Shut down the PC.
c. Remove the cover.
d. Locate an available PCI slot and remove the corresponding slot cover from the back of the PC.
e. Carefully route the antenna through the open slot in the back of the PC, insert the card in the slot, and secure it. Replace the cover.
f. Power up the PC. It should recognize and enable the new hardware.
g. Go to the Control Panel, select Network, select Wireless Networking connection. Click on Properties. Click on Wireless Networking tab. Select the wireless networking name (see step 2e above). Click on Configure. Adjust your security settings to match those on your wireless router.
4. Install a Wireless PC Card in a Notebook PC
Many notebooks have built-in wireless cards. If yours doesn't, follow these instructions.
a. Follow steps "a" and "b" in number 3.
b. Plug your wireless PC Card into an available slot on the side of your notebook.
c. Follow steps "f" and "g" in number 3.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Moving away from the commodity game: the evolution of the network is accelerating, making speed to market—not end-to-end control—a key ingredient for
Telecom Asia: During your keynote talk at Carriers World Asia last month, you said we're in year ten of a 25-year network build out.
Vab Goel: If you really think about it today, the Internet is still in a very early stage. IP is a protocol that doesn't really care about the underlying physical interface--it runs over cable, PSTN, TDM and over the wireless network. But right now multimedia and video are still not happening over IP networks. The day is going to come where you'll be able to watch any movie or any TV program from anywhere sitting right in your living room. TVs are going to come with an Ethernet interface, and you'll be able to see what channels are playing in the UK and select what you want. What has to happen to allow that? The network has to change. If you look at most of the broadband networks getting built today, they don't have enough capacity. DSL is the first phase of the deployment. In the US you can't get 300 kbps most the time.
The network is going to change through new equipment deployments. None of that is going to happen over night. The next step is how to really integrate video with the IP network, and then how does it integrate with Wi-Fi in the home. The challenge is making it as easy as turning on the TV. The biggest mistakes we can make are thinking this is the best we can get or that it will all happen in the next year. Is it going to be ten or 15 more years, I can't predict. But one thing for sure is that a lot more innovation is coming and a lot more work has to be done. So the view is that the industry has to be ready for change and to think out of the box. And it has to invest in new ideas and technology because the status quo is not going to get us there.
How does this impact incumbent carriers?
It puts them back against the wall. The more applications are available over the Internet, the more their top-line revenue goes down. I think there are still opportunities for carriers and a tot of possibilities for new services, but they need a service delivery platform that is auto-provisioning and low cost. They also need to have a partnership model vs thinking they need to own everything. They have to think beyond where do I own the fiber and look at the AOL model, the IBM hosting model and the Google and Yahoo models. They have to look at what they have and totally change the way they do business. It can't be a 5 or 10% improvement; they need to look at 200 or 300 or 400% improvement--both in the business plan and the network architecture.
Going to Nortel, or Siemens or Lucent and asking them to be your supplier may not be enough. Carriers may have to take a stronger approach and say they're going to partner with entrepreneur companies and build new services which give them a 200-300% shift. Those that don't do this, their days may be numbered.
Who would have thought that AT&T would be sold for half its revenue. This is a big alarm for everyone and people have to accept it or we can stay in denial. AT&T for the longest time was in denial. They didn't have a single IP network--they had multiple networks and were late coming to the party. Sprint was the first telecom company to adopt Internet--AT&T was two to three years behind. Time to market is going to be key, and if you don't take advantage of it, someone else will.
What do you see as the pathway to higher margins?
Like I mentioned before, carriers need to think through forming partnerships and figure out how they're going to have a global footprint without investing capital in each market. This is self serving, but they need to partner with companies like Virtela that don't own the network but have design capabilities, network capabilities and a service delivery platform, which allows them to deliver complete managed network services, because every enterprise needs connectivity within the country, within the region or globally. They need to take advantage of services like video conferencing, which is becoming commonplace now, but many enterprises are doing it themselves and carriers are getting no revenue out of it. They need to offer directory services and interconnection on the IP layer between the different service offerings.
Say you have a Tandberg as a product as well as a Sony product, can you as a service provide offer a directory, which is a simple software, so enterprises, even though they're not within the same company, can communicate with each other. They basically need to open the platform--you can't keep the network closed.
What are enterprises looking for in service providers?
I think they are most frustrated by customer service and support, which seem to be at an all-time low. Every time a customer calls now, the reaction is "oh, my God he's calling me one more time." The challenge is that enterprises have issues, because he just got attacked by a virus, and he's going to need service providers to help to figure out which IP address these attacks are coming from. So service providers really need to update their backend systems and network management and monitoring systems so they're more proactive. And enterprises are willing to pay for it, because 100% up time for a real-time enterprise has never been more critical than now. But you can't just throw more people on it to provide the required level of service and support. It requires a new provisioning system and base of network management and monitoring, and requires different skill sets. Telecom companies need to be ready to change some of the skill sets they have and empower people who come from non-telecom environments.
Vab Goel: If you really think about it today, the Internet is still in a very early stage. IP is a protocol that doesn't really care about the underlying physical interface--it runs over cable, PSTN, TDM and over the wireless network. But right now multimedia and video are still not happening over IP networks. The day is going to come where you'll be able to watch any movie or any TV program from anywhere sitting right in your living room. TVs are going to come with an Ethernet interface, and you'll be able to see what channels are playing in the UK and select what you want. What has to happen to allow that? The network has to change. If you look at most of the broadband networks getting built today, they don't have enough capacity. DSL is the first phase of the deployment. In the US you can't get 300 kbps most the time.
The network is going to change through new equipment deployments. None of that is going to happen over night. The next step is how to really integrate video with the IP network, and then how does it integrate with Wi-Fi in the home. The challenge is making it as easy as turning on the TV. The biggest mistakes we can make are thinking this is the best we can get or that it will all happen in the next year. Is it going to be ten or 15 more years, I can't predict. But one thing for sure is that a lot more innovation is coming and a lot more work has to be done. So the view is that the industry has to be ready for change and to think out of the box. And it has to invest in new ideas and technology because the status quo is not going to get us there.
How does this impact incumbent carriers?
It puts them back against the wall. The more applications are available over the Internet, the more their top-line revenue goes down. I think there are still opportunities for carriers and a tot of possibilities for new services, but they need a service delivery platform that is auto-provisioning and low cost. They also need to have a partnership model vs thinking they need to own everything. They have to think beyond where do I own the fiber and look at the AOL model, the IBM hosting model and the Google and Yahoo models. They have to look at what they have and totally change the way they do business. It can't be a 5 or 10% improvement; they need to look at 200 or 300 or 400% improvement--both in the business plan and the network architecture.
Going to Nortel, or Siemens or Lucent and asking them to be your supplier may not be enough. Carriers may have to take a stronger approach and say they're going to partner with entrepreneur companies and build new services which give them a 200-300% shift. Those that don't do this, their days may be numbered.
Who would have thought that AT&T would be sold for half its revenue. This is a big alarm for everyone and people have to accept it or we can stay in denial. AT&T for the longest time was in denial. They didn't have a single IP network--they had multiple networks and were late coming to the party. Sprint was the first telecom company to adopt Internet--AT&T was two to three years behind. Time to market is going to be key, and if you don't take advantage of it, someone else will.
What do you see as the pathway to higher margins?
Like I mentioned before, carriers need to think through forming partnerships and figure out how they're going to have a global footprint without investing capital in each market. This is self serving, but they need to partner with companies like Virtela that don't own the network but have design capabilities, network capabilities and a service delivery platform, which allows them to deliver complete managed network services, because every enterprise needs connectivity within the country, within the region or globally. They need to take advantage of services like video conferencing, which is becoming commonplace now, but many enterprises are doing it themselves and carriers are getting no revenue out of it. They need to offer directory services and interconnection on the IP layer between the different service offerings.
Say you have a Tandberg as a product as well as a Sony product, can you as a service provide offer a directory, which is a simple software, so enterprises, even though they're not within the same company, can communicate with each other. They basically need to open the platform--you can't keep the network closed.
What are enterprises looking for in service providers?
I think they are most frustrated by customer service and support, which seem to be at an all-time low. Every time a customer calls now, the reaction is "oh, my God he's calling me one more time." The challenge is that enterprises have issues, because he just got attacked by a virus, and he's going to need service providers to help to figure out which IP address these attacks are coming from. So service providers really need to update their backend systems and network management and monitoring systems so they're more proactive. And enterprises are willing to pay for it, because 100% up time for a real-time enterprise has never been more critical than now. But you can't just throw more people on it to provide the required level of service and support. It requires a new provisioning system and base of network management and monitoring, and requires different skill sets. Telecom companies need to be ready to change some of the skill sets they have and empower people who come from non-telecom environments.
Friday, June 30, 2006
Broadweave Networks selects Telco Systems' Active Ethernet FTTH solutions for greenfield deployment in new 8,000-home community in Utah
FTTH network delivering primary-line VoIP, IP video, broadband Internet
Telco Systems announced that Broadweave Networks has selected Telco Systems' Active Ethernet products for deployment in a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) community of 8,000 homes and 4.5 million square feet of office and retail space currently under construction in Utah, to deliver primary-line VoIP, IP Video, and broadband Internet.
Broadweave works with developers to build future-proof, connected communities. No copper lines are installed. Fiber is the only installed infrastructure, making Broadweave the first to deliver primary-line Ethernet and VoIP to residences in the U.S.
Broadweave Networks will be using Telco Systems' Optical Ethernet products to deploy FTTH networks that support Broadweave's Telephone, Digital TV, and high-speed Internet access under Broadweave's "Triple-Weave" Services brand.
Following an initial field trial which began in 2003, Broadweave has now exclusively selected Telco Systems equipment for the commercial roll-out of their Triple-Weave Services at speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) to the estimated 8,000 homes and the 4.5 million square feet of business and retail space planned for the community.
The Telco Systems' EdgeGate CPE IP gateway product line and the T5 Compact IP Ethernet aggregation switch will build the backbone of the network. The Telco Systems' EdgeGate CPE triple-play gateways are located outside subscribers' premises and connected to a T5 Compact IP switch located in the neighborhood to aggregate voice, video, and data traffic.
Larry Asten, Telco Systems President, said, "We're honored to be selected for this historic FTTH deployment in which traditional copper infrastructure is being replaced with Broadweave's fiber-optic "Triple-Weave" Services.
Steve Christensen, Broadweave's CEO and Chairman, said, "We selected an Active Ethernet FTTH solution and the Telco Systems products because they are standards-based, carrier-grade reliable, cost-effective, and field-proven."
Founded by an all-star team of veterans from AOL, Bain Capital, and Novell, Broadweave Networks has already proven itself as a leader. Broadweave's value proposition is simple: "Why build today's cities on yesterday's infrastructure?"
Homeowners in a Broadweave-Connected Community receive their telephone, television, broadband Internet, movies on demand, enhanced data services, and much more via an IP network, delivered over a single fiber-to-the-subscriber (FTTS) line.
Businesses in a Broadweave-Connected Community can order bandwidth by the slice at speeds up to 10Gbps, as well as enhanced data services such as messaging and collaboration, voice services such as unified communications and hosted Telephony, and even video services like business TV and video telephony. Broadweave's long-distance and 1-800 number rates are competitive with any carrier.
Broadweave is using the EdgeGate CPE outdoor extended temperature units, which provide separate locking access for the customer and service provider. The EdgeGate CPE supports various combinations of 2 and 4 analog voice lines (VoIP FXS ports), 8 10/100BaseTX Ethernet ports for data and video, and optical Fast/Gigabit Ethernet uplinks. The EdgeGate CPE outdoor cabinet supports Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) and offers battery backup and Lifeline POTS. It also supports all current VoIP signaling protocols including SIP, MGCP, and H.323, as well as IGMP for IP video.
The T5 Compact is a carrier-class IP Ethernet switch that provides high performance in a super-compact package. Only 1 RU in height, the T5 Compact boasts the capacity of physically larger backbone switches at price points associated with workgroup switching. This versatile switch is used in FTTH applications, Metro Ethernet Access Rings, data aggregation, and delivery of a wide variety of IP-based Ethernet services such as Virtual Private Networks, VoIP, and video.
Telco Systems announced that Broadweave Networks has selected Telco Systems' Active Ethernet products for deployment in a fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) community of 8,000 homes and 4.5 million square feet of office and retail space currently under construction in Utah, to deliver primary-line VoIP, IP Video, and broadband Internet.
Broadweave works with developers to build future-proof, connected communities. No copper lines are installed. Fiber is the only installed infrastructure, making Broadweave the first to deliver primary-line Ethernet and VoIP to residences in the U.S.
Broadweave Networks will be using Telco Systems' Optical Ethernet products to deploy FTTH networks that support Broadweave's Telephone, Digital TV, and high-speed Internet access under Broadweave's "Triple-Weave" Services brand.
Following an initial field trial which began in 2003, Broadweave has now exclusively selected Telco Systems equipment for the commercial roll-out of their Triple-Weave Services at speeds of up to 1 Gigabit per second (Gbps) to the estimated 8,000 homes and the 4.5 million square feet of business and retail space planned for the community.
The Telco Systems' EdgeGate CPE IP gateway product line and the T5 Compact IP Ethernet aggregation switch will build the backbone of the network. The Telco Systems' EdgeGate CPE triple-play gateways are located outside subscribers' premises and connected to a T5 Compact IP switch located in the neighborhood to aggregate voice, video, and data traffic.
Larry Asten, Telco Systems President, said, "We're honored to be selected for this historic FTTH deployment in which traditional copper infrastructure is being replaced with Broadweave's fiber-optic "Triple-Weave" Services.
Steve Christensen, Broadweave's CEO and Chairman, said, "We selected an Active Ethernet FTTH solution and the Telco Systems products because they are standards-based, carrier-grade reliable, cost-effective, and field-proven."
Founded by an all-star team of veterans from AOL, Bain Capital, and Novell, Broadweave Networks has already proven itself as a leader. Broadweave's value proposition is simple: "Why build today's cities on yesterday's infrastructure?"
Homeowners in a Broadweave-Connected Community receive their telephone, television, broadband Internet, movies on demand, enhanced data services, and much more via an IP network, delivered over a single fiber-to-the-subscriber (FTTS) line.
Businesses in a Broadweave-Connected Community can order bandwidth by the slice at speeds up to 10Gbps, as well as enhanced data services such as messaging and collaboration, voice services such as unified communications and hosted Telephony, and even video services like business TV and video telephony. Broadweave's long-distance and 1-800 number rates are competitive with any carrier.
Broadweave is using the EdgeGate CPE outdoor extended temperature units, which provide separate locking access for the customer and service provider. The EdgeGate CPE supports various combinations of 2 and 4 analog voice lines (VoIP FXS ports), 8 10/100BaseTX Ethernet ports for data and video, and optical Fast/Gigabit Ethernet uplinks. The EdgeGate CPE outdoor cabinet supports Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) and offers battery backup and Lifeline POTS. It also supports all current VoIP signaling protocols including SIP, MGCP, and H.323, as well as IGMP for IP video.
The T5 Compact is a carrier-class IP Ethernet switch that provides high performance in a super-compact package. Only 1 RU in height, the T5 Compact boasts the capacity of physically larger backbone switches at price points associated with workgroup switching. This versatile switch is used in FTTH applications, Metro Ethernet Access Rings, data aggregation, and delivery of a wide variety of IP-based Ethernet services such as Virtual Private Networks, VoIP, and video.
Friday, June 23, 2006
A Smarter Home Network - Industry Trend or Event
Broadband and the Internet could spark a home networking revolution, but who will lead the way?
We've had the dream of an intelligent house dangled before us for a very long time. After all, what has Bill Gates been building for himself all these years if not the nonpareil of smart homes? If recording a TV show seems a fatuous use of future-tech, visionaries see it as much more than that. In those dreams, everything that can be--entertainment centers, PCs, lights, heating and cooling, even our security systems--will be connected and accessible both in the house and away from home by remote control, the Internet, or a WAiP-enabled cell phone. And our homes will be nodes on a very WAN run on fat, broadband pipelines around the world.
"The Americans call it the Jetson home but that sort of vision is still a dream really," laughs David Mercer, an analyst at Strategy Analytics.
Is it a vision which time's finally come? "Two things will drive home networking. One is pervasive Internet, which is Internet on multiple devices, and the other is broadband," Mercer said. "With a combination of those, you'll see rapid growth in home networking." Mercer's two factors, pervasive Internet and broadband connections, are beginning to penetrate American homes now.
Whether the smart home of the near future has a central-access point and what that device will be are still up in the air. Companies like West Yorkshire, England-based Pace Micro Technology think the focus of our home networks will be found in digital TV set-top boxes (STBs). Increasingly, STBs are being referred to as "gateways;" Pace Micro believes they will act as the connection point to the broadband line linking a house's appliance network to external networks.
The utopian ideal of a single gateway around which the family and home network revolves is dismissed by others. "Multiple gateways seem likely," said Rolf Johansson, strategic marketing manager, home communications, at Ericsson Mobile Communications. "They will compete in and service different areas."
This notion of just how everything will be connected together is an important issue with many potential home network solutions. Different connection schemes--multi- or uni-gateway solutions, competing connection technologies and standards--are backed by different companies and organizations. Several suitable technologies exist, each with its own pros and cons. Yet the general consensus is that wireless will rule within the home, simply due to consumer reluctance to connect wires between electronic equipment in the home, especially in different rooms.
The trouble with the intelligent home network solutions pitched so far is some of them have the potential to interfere with each other. Remember when remote-control devices first became popular and just about everyone had an anecdotal story of a neighbor's garage-door remote changing TV channels up and down the street? Hone family's network interferes with its neighbor's systems, home consumers will understandably become disillusioned with the whole business. For a market that is expected to reach $2.4 billion by 2005, according to Allied Business Intelligence Inc., Oyster Bay, N.Y., such incompatibility is not only confusing but unnecessary.
Like the best of late-night infomercials, the home networking market needs to prove to consumers that the smart home network is not only a good idea but necessary. Strategy Analytics' Mercer believes a golden opportunity exists for someone to become the friendly face of broadband and the home network.
"At the moment the technology is pretty complex and you're asking consumers to do rather a lot," Mercer said. "For it to become a mass market, it needs somebody to get hold of the whole concept of the broadband home and market its advantages, to take the whole thing away from the technology."
Mercer expects it will be one of the big network operators that takes up the challenge sometime in the next few years. "We'll see somebody trying to pull all of this together and present it as a great new thing that evervbodv needs to have."
We've had the dream of an intelligent house dangled before us for a very long time. After all, what has Bill Gates been building for himself all these years if not the nonpareil of smart homes? If recording a TV show seems a fatuous use of future-tech, visionaries see it as much more than that. In those dreams, everything that can be--entertainment centers, PCs, lights, heating and cooling, even our security systems--will be connected and accessible both in the house and away from home by remote control, the Internet, or a WAiP-enabled cell phone. And our homes will be nodes on a very WAN run on fat, broadband pipelines around the world.
"The Americans call it the Jetson home but that sort of vision is still a dream really," laughs David Mercer, an analyst at Strategy Analytics.
Is it a vision which time's finally come? "Two things will drive home networking. One is pervasive Internet, which is Internet on multiple devices, and the other is broadband," Mercer said. "With a combination of those, you'll see rapid growth in home networking." Mercer's two factors, pervasive Internet and broadband connections, are beginning to penetrate American homes now.
Whether the smart home of the near future has a central-access point and what that device will be are still up in the air. Companies like West Yorkshire, England-based Pace Micro Technology think the focus of our home networks will be found in digital TV set-top boxes (STBs). Increasingly, STBs are being referred to as "gateways;" Pace Micro believes they will act as the connection point to the broadband line linking a house's appliance network to external networks.
The utopian ideal of a single gateway around which the family and home network revolves is dismissed by others. "Multiple gateways seem likely," said Rolf Johansson, strategic marketing manager, home communications, at Ericsson Mobile Communications. "They will compete in and service different areas."
This notion of just how everything will be connected together is an important issue with many potential home network solutions. Different connection schemes--multi- or uni-gateway solutions, competing connection technologies and standards--are backed by different companies and organizations. Several suitable technologies exist, each with its own pros and cons. Yet the general consensus is that wireless will rule within the home, simply due to consumer reluctance to connect wires between electronic equipment in the home, especially in different rooms.
The trouble with the intelligent home network solutions pitched so far is some of them have the potential to interfere with each other. Remember when remote-control devices first became popular and just about everyone had an anecdotal story of a neighbor's garage-door remote changing TV channels up and down the street? Hone family's network interferes with its neighbor's systems, home consumers will understandably become disillusioned with the whole business. For a market that is expected to reach $2.4 billion by 2005, according to Allied Business Intelligence Inc., Oyster Bay, N.Y., such incompatibility is not only confusing but unnecessary.
Like the best of late-night infomercials, the home networking market needs to prove to consumers that the smart home network is not only a good idea but necessary. Strategy Analytics' Mercer believes a golden opportunity exists for someone to become the friendly face of broadband and the home network.
"At the moment the technology is pretty complex and you're asking consumers to do rather a lot," Mercer said. "For it to become a mass market, it needs somebody to get hold of the whole concept of the broadband home and market its advantages, to take the whole thing away from the technology."
Mercer expects it will be one of the big network operators that takes up the challenge sometime in the next few years. "We'll see somebody trying to pull all of this together and present it as a great new thing that evervbodv needs to have."
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Secure the network the same as a home: basic rules apply to keeping unwanted visitors out of prized possessions at home and at work - Wireless - Indus
Imagine a home, filled with prized possessions. All of the windows are open, and all the doors are unlocked. The owner then announces on a bullhorn that his domain is wide open and invites anyone to come in and go through those prized possessions anytime they want.
This is essentially what happens when the available wireless security that comes with wireless systems today is not turned on. The issue is not that hackers (burglars) can break security measures, but that they can walk right in and take what they want. Only about 30% of the market is using security appropriately, because people just plug in a wireless access point right out of the box and do not change the default settings. Or users become frustrated trying to set up a system's wireless security features and turn them off.
On a wireless LAN (WLAN), the drop lines and Ethernet adapters of a wired LAN are replaced with radio access points and a radio card in the end devices. Anyone with a radio that can receive WLAN radio signals (called sniffing) can potentially connect to any system. Hackers gain access by intercepting signals carrying specific information about a company WLAN, manipulate that information to present themselves as valid participants of that network (called spoofing) and use that information to break in.
Hackers typically have interest in data and access. Depending upon a company's situation, analyzing each of these areas will help determine the level of security needed.
WLAN security can be categorized into three types: basic, active and hardened. The first thing to do to secure a home is to close the windows and doors and lock them. This is equivalent to the basic security standard established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). One of the first IEEE task groups focused on bringing the equivalent level of security found in a wired network to the wireless world. The result was the Wired-Equivalent Protocol Standard (WEP) 128.
Sometimes, a good watchdog is needed in the yard. Unless that dog recognizes the person wanting access to its owner's house, he is not getting inside. That is the IEEE 802.1x security standard, which covers two distinct areas: network access restriction through the use of authentication, and data integrity through WEP key rotation. Without the proper key and authentication, unauthorized users do not get in.
A small number of enterprises manage data and access to other trading partners that could be considered top secret. These firms may need wireless security that is more difficult to crack, similar to having an alarm system and armed guards patrolling the grounds. Many of these firms may need to employ a security solution that is certified as Federal Information Protection Standard 1.40. Products in this category provide point-to-point security for wireless network communications and include IPSec virtual private networks.
Completely eliminating the risk that someone will hack into a system may not be possible, but the threat can be significantly reduced. To provide a reasonable level of network security based on a company's specific situation:
* Turn all available security features on. Thieves like unlocked doors and will pass by locked areas for the easy pickings.
* Assess what level of security is really needed. How important or confidential is the company data? Do network connections with trading partners have even more sensitive data? Implement security measures in proportion to needs.
* Stick with the standards. Standards not only ensure others have tested the waters, but protect a company's investment for future changes and expansion. Do not use default settings, obvious passwords or keys. Rotate WEP keys often-at least once per day or every 10,000 packets of information to foil hackers' efforts.
Finally, monitor, monitor, monitor. Do not just turn a network on and assume it will always stay the same. Check and sniff the network for possible hidden access points. Be aware of the physical environment. Look for any unfamiliar car along the street with a driver just sitting in it. He might be trying to break into the house.
This is essentially what happens when the available wireless security that comes with wireless systems today is not turned on. The issue is not that hackers (burglars) can break security measures, but that they can walk right in and take what they want. Only about 30% of the market is using security appropriately, because people just plug in a wireless access point right out of the box and do not change the default settings. Or users become frustrated trying to set up a system's wireless security features and turn them off.
On a wireless LAN (WLAN), the drop lines and Ethernet adapters of a wired LAN are replaced with radio access points and a radio card in the end devices. Anyone with a radio that can receive WLAN radio signals (called sniffing) can potentially connect to any system. Hackers gain access by intercepting signals carrying specific information about a company WLAN, manipulate that information to present themselves as valid participants of that network (called spoofing) and use that information to break in.
Hackers typically have interest in data and access. Depending upon a company's situation, analyzing each of these areas will help determine the level of security needed.
WLAN security can be categorized into three types: basic, active and hardened. The first thing to do to secure a home is to close the windows and doors and lock them. This is equivalent to the basic security standard established by the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE). One of the first IEEE task groups focused on bringing the equivalent level of security found in a wired network to the wireless world. The result was the Wired-Equivalent Protocol Standard (WEP) 128.
Sometimes, a good watchdog is needed in the yard. Unless that dog recognizes the person wanting access to its owner's house, he is not getting inside. That is the IEEE 802.1x security standard, which covers two distinct areas: network access restriction through the use of authentication, and data integrity through WEP key rotation. Without the proper key and authentication, unauthorized users do not get in.
A small number of enterprises manage data and access to other trading partners that could be considered top secret. These firms may need wireless security that is more difficult to crack, similar to having an alarm system and armed guards patrolling the grounds. Many of these firms may need to employ a security solution that is certified as Federal Information Protection Standard 1.40. Products in this category provide point-to-point security for wireless network communications and include IPSec virtual private networks.
Completely eliminating the risk that someone will hack into a system may not be possible, but the threat can be significantly reduced. To provide a reasonable level of network security based on a company's specific situation:
* Turn all available security features on. Thieves like unlocked doors and will pass by locked areas for the easy pickings.
* Assess what level of security is really needed. How important or confidential is the company data? Do network connections with trading partners have even more sensitive data? Implement security measures in proportion to needs.
* Stick with the standards. Standards not only ensure others have tested the waters, but protect a company's investment for future changes and expansion. Do not use default settings, obvious passwords or keys. Rotate WEP keys often-at least once per day or every 10,000 packets of information to foil hackers' efforts.
Finally, monitor, monitor, monitor. Do not just turn a network on and assume it will always stay the same. Check and sniff the network for possible hidden access points. Be aware of the physical environment. Look for any unfamiliar car along the street with a driver just sitting in it. He might be trying to break into the house.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
DSL Comes Home-with a Network - Industry Trend or Event
Just when the communications industry finally seems to be getting handle on the numerous flavors of Asymmetical Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) technology, new questions are arising about how ADSL relates to another hot technology: home networking.
First, let's clear up any confusion that may be lingering. The various types of ADSL and home networking technologies ultimately concern pumping Internet data at faster and faster speeds into and throughout consumers' homes. It is our belief that the technologies are complementary and will be two of the key engines driving the mass deployment of broadband services in consumers' homes.
The newest specification for consumer DSL service, G.Lite, can be thought of as a consumer-installable form of DSL. It can be deployed economically because it does not require installation in the home of a piece of equipment called a voice/data splitter. G.Lite converts analog telephone lines into digital lines by adding a line-interface device in the telephone company's central office and a DSL modem at the subscriber's home. Customers also must subscribe to DSL service from their telephone service provider. G.Lite can transmit Internet data into peoples' homes at up to 1.5Mbits/sec., about 25 times faster than today's fastest analog modems.
Home networking uses existing copper home phone wiring to create a consumer-friendly home network that allows for simultaneous access of the Internet using two or more PCs. In addition to the outside-the-home broadband, there is the growing need to move data between devices within the home. Home networking also allows two or more PCs within a home to share printers or other peripherals. All of this can be done at initial speeds of 1Mbit/sec. and eventually at 10Mbit/sec. using one modem connection, one telephone wire, and one Internet Service Provider.
Broadband to the home via ADSL and broadband in the home via home networking are certainly inter-related in that both are enablers in the digital connectivity application space. However, ADSL and home networking deliver different benefits to consumers and use different technologies to achieve these benefits.
G.Lite aims to provide Internet services to homes in the 28KHz to 1.5MHz frequency spectrum. Home networking uses the frequency band between 4MHz to 10MHz to provide connectivity for multiple devices within the home. Home networking technology is about creating a local area network and using that network for simultaneous, multiple device, and high-speed Internet connectivity within a home.
Broadband to the home via DSL and home networking via phone lines are both designed to be plug-and-play technologies which enable the consumer to get the capability by simply plugging in the equipment without needing a visit from a service technician. Broadband to the home and broadband in the home are synergistic from a use perspective as well. With a bigger pipe into the house, multiple PCs can access the Internet simultaneously at faster rates using G.Lite technology.
As an emerging standard for DSL, G.Lite has a feature called fast retrain that allows the modem to adapt to events on the phone line such as ringing, answering the phone, and hanging up the phone. The data rates will momentarily change and then settle out as the modem quickly retrains for the changes in the home wiring impedance and noise levels. These changes to the phone line by design do not translate into significant changes in the data rates, nor in most cases are the data rate changes that may occur noticeable by the user from a perceived throughput perspective.
The Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA), an industry consortium driving toward a standard for home networking, has developed home networking protocols. Some may wonder whether these protocols will affect DSL transmissions. The answer is no, provided your design-band limits itself properly and presents a proper impedance to the phone line. Home networking boards need to be designed with DSL and analog services in mind, while DSL boards must be designed with analog voice and home networking in mind.
Some in the industry have expressed concern that when supporting all three services voice, ADSL and home networking-that lines might suffer from cross-talk, which happens when signals bleed over from one line to adjacent lines in the wiring bundle. But since the voice, ADSL and home networking signals run at different frequencies, they do not clash on the line.
A protocol developed by Lucent Microelectronics Group, which has been submitted to the HomePNA, addresses the cross-talk issue. Under the protocol, home networking signal traffic operates in the 4 to 10MHz band range. DSL traffic runs at 26 to 550KHz for G.Lite, and at 1.1MHz for full rate ADSL, a faster flavor of DSL that runs at speeds of up to 8Mbit/sec. Voice traffic runs in the 300 to 3,300Hz range. A reasonable guard band between each operating bandwidth provides isolation and prevents cross-talk.
First, let's clear up any confusion that may be lingering. The various types of ADSL and home networking technologies ultimately concern pumping Internet data at faster and faster speeds into and throughout consumers' homes. It is our belief that the technologies are complementary and will be two of the key engines driving the mass deployment of broadband services in consumers' homes.
The newest specification for consumer DSL service, G.Lite, can be thought of as a consumer-installable form of DSL. It can be deployed economically because it does not require installation in the home of a piece of equipment called a voice/data splitter. G.Lite converts analog telephone lines into digital lines by adding a line-interface device in the telephone company's central office and a DSL modem at the subscriber's home. Customers also must subscribe to DSL service from their telephone service provider. G.Lite can transmit Internet data into peoples' homes at up to 1.5Mbits/sec., about 25 times faster than today's fastest analog modems.
Home networking uses existing copper home phone wiring to create a consumer-friendly home network that allows for simultaneous access of the Internet using two or more PCs. In addition to the outside-the-home broadband, there is the growing need to move data between devices within the home. Home networking also allows two or more PCs within a home to share printers or other peripherals. All of this can be done at initial speeds of 1Mbit/sec. and eventually at 10Mbit/sec. using one modem connection, one telephone wire, and one Internet Service Provider.
Broadband to the home via ADSL and broadband in the home via home networking are certainly inter-related in that both are enablers in the digital connectivity application space. However, ADSL and home networking deliver different benefits to consumers and use different technologies to achieve these benefits.
G.Lite aims to provide Internet services to homes in the 28KHz to 1.5MHz frequency spectrum. Home networking uses the frequency band between 4MHz to 10MHz to provide connectivity for multiple devices within the home. Home networking technology is about creating a local area network and using that network for simultaneous, multiple device, and high-speed Internet connectivity within a home.
Broadband to the home via DSL and home networking via phone lines are both designed to be plug-and-play technologies which enable the consumer to get the capability by simply plugging in the equipment without needing a visit from a service technician. Broadband to the home and broadband in the home are synergistic from a use perspective as well. With a bigger pipe into the house, multiple PCs can access the Internet simultaneously at faster rates using G.Lite technology.
As an emerging standard for DSL, G.Lite has a feature called fast retrain that allows the modem to adapt to events on the phone line such as ringing, answering the phone, and hanging up the phone. The data rates will momentarily change and then settle out as the modem quickly retrains for the changes in the home wiring impedance and noise levels. These changes to the phone line by design do not translate into significant changes in the data rates, nor in most cases are the data rate changes that may occur noticeable by the user from a perceived throughput perspective.
The Home Phoneline Networking Alliance (HomePNA), an industry consortium driving toward a standard for home networking, has developed home networking protocols. Some may wonder whether these protocols will affect DSL transmissions. The answer is no, provided your design-band limits itself properly and presents a proper impedance to the phone line. Home networking boards need to be designed with DSL and analog services in mind, while DSL boards must be designed with analog voice and home networking in mind.
Some in the industry have expressed concern that when supporting all three services voice, ADSL and home networking-that lines might suffer from cross-talk, which happens when signals bleed over from one line to adjacent lines in the wiring bundle. But since the voice, ADSL and home networking signals run at different frequencies, they do not clash on the line.
A protocol developed by Lucent Microelectronics Group, which has been submitted to the HomePNA, addresses the cross-talk issue. Under the protocol, home networking signal traffic operates in the 4 to 10MHz band range. DSL traffic runs at 26 to 550KHz for G.Lite, and at 1.1MHz for full rate ADSL, a faster flavor of DSL that runs at speeds of up to 8Mbit/sec. Voice traffic runs in the 300 to 3,300Hz range. A reasonable guard band between each operating bandwidth provides isolation and prevents cross-talk.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Silicon Opportunities in Powerline Home Network Market - In-Stat/Insights
POOR POWERLINE. AFTER THE MUCH-HYPED launch of HPNA phoneline networking products in 1999 and the success of wireless LAN products for the home based on 802.11b, there hasn't been much room for another physical media to elbow its way into the attention spans of system designers looking to develop networking, CPE and convergence products for the home. Part of the problem has been a lack of a widely adopted standard, but with the arrival of HomePlug, that is about to change.
So what does HomePlug mean for system and chip vendors looking to cash in on potential opportunities on this newest of no-new-wires technologies? Before we answer that, let's first take a look at the recent past.
On this eve of the arrival of HomePlug-compliant products, many are skeptical. They believe that HomePlug will experience the same problems that have plagued HPNA, which is by most accounts a disappointment from a sales and end-user adoption standpoint. Because of this belief, many are taking a wait-and-see approach with powerline networking.
It's instructive to examine why HPNA has fared poorly. There are a few reasons, the most basic of which is that consumers just didn't understand it. No matter how many times you told them that you can network over the same copper wires that your phone communications go over, even at the same time, most folks outside of the technology industry would look at you with glazed eyes (and you can forget about telling them the definition of multiplexing).
But it wasn't just a lack of understanding. Another problem that HPNA products faced was a limited product line. Think about it: NICs alone do not n market make. The success of home routers from companies such as Netgear and Linksys have validated our research that shows consumers' No. 1 reason for home networking is broadband sharing. You can't expect more than a very few early adopters to network PCs using hybrid Ethernet and HPNA products if they have to use multiple NICs per PC (a scenario that would be necessary with no HPNA ports on a home router or an Ethernet to HPNA bridge). HomePlug, for all of its doubters, has gotten this part right as IC vendors such as Intellon, Conexant and Cogency are looking to provide MII interfaces for connecting their chipsets into a router system and are also providing reference designs for routers and bridges. Both Netgear and Linksys have announced they will release HomePlug routers and bridges in 2002.
All that being said, Cahners In-Stat Group believes that the powerline networking market will create opportunities for companies in the access, local connectivity and digital convergence space. Some access silicon players will want to obtain functional blocks to add powerline connections to their offerings, as most have realized that being simple modem providers isn't going to cut it anymore. Those selling ICs and into set-top box and other markets have heeded the call for wireless connections from their customers, and soon powerline may be on those RFPs coming in from service market for home networking to grow from just $5 million in providers. These dynamics will result in the powerline IC 2001 to more than $157 million by 2006. Not n huge market, but if you consider the value of access and convergence silicon that will incorporate interfaces to powerline transceivers, this market is going to be potentially much bigger and one that most IC vendors would be wise to pay attention to.
Mike Wolf is the director of enterprise and residential networking at Cahners In-Stat Group. Keep an eye out for his forthcoming report, "Power to the People: What HomePlug Means to Home Networking", which will include forecasts for HomePlug equipment and silicon as well as market analysis and vendor profiles.
So what does HomePlug mean for system and chip vendors looking to cash in on potential opportunities on this newest of no-new-wires technologies? Before we answer that, let's first take a look at the recent past.
On this eve of the arrival of HomePlug-compliant products, many are skeptical. They believe that HomePlug will experience the same problems that have plagued HPNA, which is by most accounts a disappointment from a sales and end-user adoption standpoint. Because of this belief, many are taking a wait-and-see approach with powerline networking.
It's instructive to examine why HPNA has fared poorly. There are a few reasons, the most basic of which is that consumers just didn't understand it. No matter how many times you told them that you can network over the same copper wires that your phone communications go over, even at the same time, most folks outside of the technology industry would look at you with glazed eyes (and you can forget about telling them the definition of multiplexing).
But it wasn't just a lack of understanding. Another problem that HPNA products faced was a limited product line. Think about it: NICs alone do not n market make. The success of home routers from companies such as Netgear and Linksys have validated our research that shows consumers' No. 1 reason for home networking is broadband sharing. You can't expect more than a very few early adopters to network PCs using hybrid Ethernet and HPNA products if they have to use multiple NICs per PC (a scenario that would be necessary with no HPNA ports on a home router or an Ethernet to HPNA bridge). HomePlug, for all of its doubters, has gotten this part right as IC vendors such as Intellon, Conexant and Cogency are looking to provide MII interfaces for connecting their chipsets into a router system and are also providing reference designs for routers and bridges. Both Netgear and Linksys have announced they will release HomePlug routers and bridges in 2002.
All that being said, Cahners In-Stat Group believes that the powerline networking market will create opportunities for companies in the access, local connectivity and digital convergence space. Some access silicon players will want to obtain functional blocks to add powerline connections to their offerings, as most have realized that being simple modem providers isn't going to cut it anymore. Those selling ICs and into set-top box and other markets have heeded the call for wireless connections from their customers, and soon powerline may be on those RFPs coming in from service market for home networking to grow from just $5 million in providers. These dynamics will result in the powerline IC 2001 to more than $157 million by 2006. Not n huge market, but if you consider the value of access and convergence silicon that will incorporate interfaces to powerline transceivers, this market is going to be potentially much bigger and one that most IC vendors would be wise to pay attention to.
Mike Wolf is the director of enterprise and residential networking at Cahners In-Stat Group. Keep an eye out for his forthcoming report, "Power to the People: What HomePlug Means to Home Networking", which will include forecasts for HomePlug equipment and silicon as well as market analysis and vendor profiles.
Saturday, June 03, 2006
The Home Office Network Quiz - Buyers Guide
SHOPPING FOR A HOME NETWORK? A dizzying array of choices makes it harder than ever. A few years ago, when Ethernet ruled the roost, the only thing you had to decide was how much cabling to buy. These days, a hodgepodge of wireless, phone-line, AC power, and USB products promises more flexibility than traditional Ethernet. Which is best? Take our quiz to find out. Each of the following five questions addresses a different aspect of your networking needs. Answer each, tally up your points, then see what kind of home LAN is best for you.
(1) Some networks are designed for just a pair of PCs, while others can handle dozens of computers with ease. How many systems do you want to connect on your network?
a. I have two PCs, and I network them infrequently. Typically, I only connect them to transfer files onto my laptop before I head out on a business trip.
b. I have two PCs--one is mine, the other my spouse's. Connecting them will let us share files, a printer, and an Internet connection. (10 points)
c. I have four computers--one for me, one for my intern, one spare, and one I use exclusively for faxing and scanning. I want them connected all the time. (10 points)
d. I have five PCs now and expect that number to keep growing. Although I need to connect them all to share peripherals, files, Internet access, and games, expandability is also very important to me. (15 points)
(2) Choosing a network is no different than finding the right software or peripherals. Your computer must be able to support the hardware you choose. What kind of computers do you have?
a. At least one of my PCs is an older model 486. It doesn't have any USB ports, so I'll have to install an ISA-based expansion card. It's running Windows 3.1, so it doesn't have any of the nifty Windows 95/98 networking or plug-and-play features. (15 points)
b. I have several PCs, and connecting them to a network seems straightforward. One of my computers is a Macintosh, however. I'd like to give the Mac the same data access as the PCs. (15 points)
c. My computers are all fairly new. They have PCI slots, USB ports, and plenty of horsepower. (10 points)
d. Although my computers are all fairly modern, I don't feel comfortable opening them to install PCI cards. I'd prefer to try something that I can plug into the outside of the computer. (5 points)
(3) Not all data is created equal. Slow network hardware can be frustrating if you work with large files, games, or video. What kind of data will you network most frequently?
a. I have several computers in my home office and perform a variety of different tasks on each. I need to access documents stored on any PC from any other PC. I'd like to access my Quicken database from any computer and edit PowerPoint slides from anywhere in the house. I'd also like to use one system to download files from the Internet, then access them from any other PC. (5 points)
b. I want to access files from any PC on the LAN, but I also want to play games with my kids. We have several programs that support multiplayer contests on a network. (10 points)
c. While I want Internet access, I don't need each computer to connect to the Internet directly. With only one PC offering Web access, I can download a file from the Web to that system and the other PCs can access the file via the network. (5 points)
d. I need each of my PCs to have a direct connection to the Internet. That way my spouse, my assistant, and even my kids can all surf the Web and check e-mail simultaneously from their own PCs. (10 points)
(4) The proximity of your PCs is a factor that affects the kind of network you choose. How close together are your computers?
a. I have several computers, all located within 12 feet of one another in one room. I don't expect to add more computers to the network, and I have no plans to put computers elsewhere in the house. (5 points)
b. My PCs are scattered all over the house. My home office has a pair of systems that are fairly close to each other, but there is also a computer in the study upstairs, as well as one in the kids' bedroom. (10 points)
c. I have a few PCs in various rooms, and I move around a lot. I sometimes use a notebook in the dining room, sometimes carry it up to the bedroom, and once in a while take it out to the back deck. Ideally, the laptop would be able to connect to the network regardless of where it is. (10 points)
d. The loft over our detached garage serves as my home office. Even though it's in a different building, we'd like to network the office PC with computers in several locations in the main house. (10 points)
(5) After your network is up and running, connecting to the Internet can be an important element of your office productivity. To choose the right network, it helps to know how you plan to use the Internet.
a. I rarely spend much time online. When I do, my time is spent reading and sending e-mail messages, and I visit Web pages occasionally.
(1) Some networks are designed for just a pair of PCs, while others can handle dozens of computers with ease. How many systems do you want to connect on your network?
a. I have two PCs, and I network them infrequently. Typically, I only connect them to transfer files onto my laptop before I head out on a business trip.
b. I have two PCs--one is mine, the other my spouse's. Connecting them will let us share files, a printer, and an Internet connection. (10 points)
c. I have four computers--one for me, one for my intern, one spare, and one I use exclusively for faxing and scanning. I want them connected all the time. (10 points)
d. I have five PCs now and expect that number to keep growing. Although I need to connect them all to share peripherals, files, Internet access, and games, expandability is also very important to me. (15 points)
(2) Choosing a network is no different than finding the right software or peripherals. Your computer must be able to support the hardware you choose. What kind of computers do you have?
a. At least one of my PCs is an older model 486. It doesn't have any USB ports, so I'll have to install an ISA-based expansion card. It's running Windows 3.1, so it doesn't have any of the nifty Windows 95/98 networking or plug-and-play features. (15 points)
b. I have several PCs, and connecting them to a network seems straightforward. One of my computers is a Macintosh, however. I'd like to give the Mac the same data access as the PCs. (15 points)
c. My computers are all fairly new. They have PCI slots, USB ports, and plenty of horsepower. (10 points)
d. Although my computers are all fairly modern, I don't feel comfortable opening them to install PCI cards. I'd prefer to try something that I can plug into the outside of the computer. (5 points)
(3) Not all data is created equal. Slow network hardware can be frustrating if you work with large files, games, or video. What kind of data will you network most frequently?
a. I have several computers in my home office and perform a variety of different tasks on each. I need to access documents stored on any PC from any other PC. I'd like to access my Quicken database from any computer and edit PowerPoint slides from anywhere in the house. I'd also like to use one system to download files from the Internet, then access them from any other PC. (5 points)
b. I want to access files from any PC on the LAN, but I also want to play games with my kids. We have several programs that support multiplayer contests on a network. (10 points)
c. While I want Internet access, I don't need each computer to connect to the Internet directly. With only one PC offering Web access, I can download a file from the Web to that system and the other PCs can access the file via the network. (5 points)
d. I need each of my PCs to have a direct connection to the Internet. That way my spouse, my assistant, and even my kids can all surf the Web and check e-mail simultaneously from their own PCs. (10 points)
(4) The proximity of your PCs is a factor that affects the kind of network you choose. How close together are your computers?
a. I have several computers, all located within 12 feet of one another in one room. I don't expect to add more computers to the network, and I have no plans to put computers elsewhere in the house. (5 points)
b. My PCs are scattered all over the house. My home office has a pair of systems that are fairly close to each other, but there is also a computer in the study upstairs, as well as one in the kids' bedroom. (10 points)
c. I have a few PCs in various rooms, and I move around a lot. I sometimes use a notebook in the dining room, sometimes carry it up to the bedroom, and once in a while take it out to the back deck. Ideally, the laptop would be able to connect to the network regardless of where it is. (10 points)
d. The loft over our detached garage serves as my home office. Even though it's in a different building, we'd like to network the office PC with computers in several locations in the main house. (10 points)
(5) After your network is up and running, connecting to the Internet can be an important element of your office productivity. To choose the right network, it helps to know how you plan to use the Internet.
a. I rarely spend much time online. When I do, my time is spent reading and sending e-mail messages, and I visit Web pages occasionally.
Sunday, May 28, 2006
New Network, New Home - networks add functionality and future value to new homes - Industry Trend or Event
LUCKY YOU: PLANNING A CUSTOM-BUILT home complete with a brand-new home office. Soon you'll be scooting your chair across static-resistant, scratch-proof laminate floors to grab books from built-in shelves. You'll have so many convenient wall outlets that you'll give away all your power strips to plug-hungry friends on moving day.
But as you're dreaming up all the bells and whistles your budget can hold, make sure to include a home network. By now the hype surrounding off-the-shelf home networking kits is burned into your brain--sharing Internet access, files, and peripherals, among other things. But adding a network to new home construction is even more compelling. While the walls are open, network contractors can lay a customized, structured wiring system throughout your home for about a third of the cost of a similar setup in an existing house.
Wire your home with the future in mind, and you'll have all the bandwidth and connection options you could want for years if not decades to come. Here's everything you need to know about building a wired home from the ground up.
WIRING 101
Because networks add functionality and future value to new homes, Home Automation EMagazine (www.hometoys. com) editor Bob Hetherington predicts that home networks will become as commonplace as plumbing in new construction: "The question is no longer, `Is cabling necessary?', but `What's the minimum cabling requirement?'"
Although proposed data-savvy revisions to the Residential and Light Commercial Telecommunications Wiring Standard have yet to be ratified by the Telecommunications Industry Association, most network equipment vendors and installers agree that a good basic setup--one that affords plenty of room to grow--includes two coaxial video cables (RG-6 cables) and two Category 5 network cables, run to every room of the house.
Category 5 cabling is preferred over less-expensive Category 3 wiring, because it can carry data and voice signals at speeds up to 100Mbps, making it ideal for Ethernet networking and high-speed Internet technologies like DSL. Dual coax cables let you run cable TV and video anywhere in the house, and are also useful for delivering cable modem service and future technologies such as HDTV.
While traditional telephone installations are daisy-chained in a linear configuration, the ideal layout for network cabling is a star pattern, with the wires from each room running directly back (or home-run) to a centrally located control panel or wiring box. The box is typically located in a closet or basement near the point of entry for phone and cable service, which makes tying these into the network more convenient.
There are several advantages to wiring your house this way. For one, your phones will never again be subjected to the spaghetti-style installation of new extensions. Because each Category 5 cable can support up to four voice or data lines simultaneously, it's easy to activate phone extensions throughout the house or in specific rooms with just a few tweaks at the wiring closet.
The jacks are modular, so you can add phones, PCs, televisions, and other devices to your network anywhere at any time. And from a maintenance standpoint, home-run cables are more reliable than a daisy-chained network setup, and make it easy to change your network configuration or address problems from a central location.
A JOB DONE RIGHT
If you're sold on the idea of adding a structured wiring network system, Hetherington says you should be willing to spend extra time and dollars on design: "Alteration by eraser is a whole lot cheaper than by sledgehammer."
Be sure to consult with a system integrator or network consultant, especially if you have plans to incorporate other future-looking elements, such as speaker wire, a security system, home automation features, or conduits in the walls for future cable installations.
Master-planned communities that advertise networked homes have their own specific wiring requirements. For instance, if you're building a home in Sienna Plantation, a master-planned community in Missouri City, Tex., you must have at least one Category 5 cable and one RG-6 coax cable star-wired to a minimum of four room outlets in the home, as well as cabling for Sienna fire and alarm systems. Make sure the contractor you hire is aware of any such rules. Whenever possible, work with someone who has experience installing networks in the community.
If you're on your own--building outside a planned community, or working with a general contractor who has little experience with home networks--visit the Web sites of vendors such as Lucent, IBM, or OnQ Technologies to get referrals to local certified installers. Once you have a list, sit down with two or three different contractors and design a system that suits your budget and future networking needs.
Final costs for a complete home networking system vary with the complexity of the wiring, number of outlets, and labor costs in your location. In the Boston area, for example, running coaxial video cable and Category 5 cabling for telephone and data throughout a new home costs between $150 and $200 per outlet, or roughly $1,200 for an average-size home.
But as you're dreaming up all the bells and whistles your budget can hold, make sure to include a home network. By now the hype surrounding off-the-shelf home networking kits is burned into your brain--sharing Internet access, files, and peripherals, among other things. But adding a network to new home construction is even more compelling. While the walls are open, network contractors can lay a customized, structured wiring system throughout your home for about a third of the cost of a similar setup in an existing house.
Wire your home with the future in mind, and you'll have all the bandwidth and connection options you could want for years if not decades to come. Here's everything you need to know about building a wired home from the ground up.
WIRING 101
Because networks add functionality and future value to new homes, Home Automation EMagazine (www.hometoys. com) editor Bob Hetherington predicts that home networks will become as commonplace as plumbing in new construction: "The question is no longer, `Is cabling necessary?', but `What's the minimum cabling requirement?'"
Although proposed data-savvy revisions to the Residential and Light Commercial Telecommunications Wiring Standard have yet to be ratified by the Telecommunications Industry Association, most network equipment vendors and installers agree that a good basic setup--one that affords plenty of room to grow--includes two coaxial video cables (RG-6 cables) and two Category 5 network cables, run to every room of the house.
Category 5 cabling is preferred over less-expensive Category 3 wiring, because it can carry data and voice signals at speeds up to 100Mbps, making it ideal for Ethernet networking and high-speed Internet technologies like DSL. Dual coax cables let you run cable TV and video anywhere in the house, and are also useful for delivering cable modem service and future technologies such as HDTV.
While traditional telephone installations are daisy-chained in a linear configuration, the ideal layout for network cabling is a star pattern, with the wires from each room running directly back (or home-run) to a centrally located control panel or wiring box. The box is typically located in a closet or basement near the point of entry for phone and cable service, which makes tying these into the network more convenient.
There are several advantages to wiring your house this way. For one, your phones will never again be subjected to the spaghetti-style installation of new extensions. Because each Category 5 cable can support up to four voice or data lines simultaneously, it's easy to activate phone extensions throughout the house or in specific rooms with just a few tweaks at the wiring closet.
The jacks are modular, so you can add phones, PCs, televisions, and other devices to your network anywhere at any time. And from a maintenance standpoint, home-run cables are more reliable than a daisy-chained network setup, and make it easy to change your network configuration or address problems from a central location.
A JOB DONE RIGHT
If you're sold on the idea of adding a structured wiring network system, Hetherington says you should be willing to spend extra time and dollars on design: "Alteration by eraser is a whole lot cheaper than by sledgehammer."
Be sure to consult with a system integrator or network consultant, especially if you have plans to incorporate other future-looking elements, such as speaker wire, a security system, home automation features, or conduits in the walls for future cable installations.
Master-planned communities that advertise networked homes have their own specific wiring requirements. For instance, if you're building a home in Sienna Plantation, a master-planned community in Missouri City, Tex., you must have at least one Category 5 cable and one RG-6 coax cable star-wired to a minimum of four room outlets in the home, as well as cabling for Sienna fire and alarm systems. Make sure the contractor you hire is aware of any such rules. Whenever possible, work with someone who has experience installing networks in the community.
If you're on your own--building outside a planned community, or working with a general contractor who has little experience with home networks--visit the Web sites of vendors such as Lucent, IBM, or OnQ Technologies to get referrals to local certified installers. Once you have a list, sit down with two or three different contractors and design a system that suits your budget and future networking needs.
Final costs for a complete home networking system vary with the complexity of the wiring, number of outlets, and labor costs in your location. In the Boston area, for example, running coaxial video cable and Category 5 cabling for telephone and data throughout a new home costs between $150 and $200 per outlet, or roughly $1,200 for an average-size home.
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Maxtor Bypasses PC With Home Network Drive
Maxtor Corp., the world's No. 3 disk-drive maker, sees a promising new market selling hard disks that act as home-entertainment hubs whether or not they are connected to a personal computer.
The new system, which Maxtor is set to unveil on Wednesday, makes the company the first hard-disk supplier to begin marketing its product as a home-entertainment center that can bypass PCs and allow consumers to watch movies or play music or video games.
"It is truly an entertainment device without a PC in the equation," said Paul Streit, director of product management at Maxtor's branded products group.
Maxtor, based in Milpitas, California, is best known for making the 3.5-inch disk drives that store data on desktop computers. With the launch of its Shared Storage Plus storage hardware, the company is bypassing the personal computer, traditionally the heart of home computing.
"They are preparing themselves for being a digital hub for the home," said David Reinsel, director of storage research at market research firm IDC.
When connected to a home network, the new drive acts as a digital entertainment media center. For example, one family member could listen to music in a room upstairs while another watches a movie in the living room and a third views a slide show of vacation photos on a laptop in the kitchen, Maxtor said.
Consumers can use the hard drive to manage different music playlists in up to 10 rooms of a house. For movies, separate family members could be watching up to four different movies at a time, Streit said of the multi-tasking capacity of the device.
The Shared Storage Plus drive relies on media-management software from Mediabolic. By relying on industry standards that allow an increasing number of consumer electronics gadgets to easily connect together, the hard drive and related software can essentially do without a PC as its central intelligence.
About 18 million U.S. households use home networks, Maxtor said, with another 7 million planning to own one by 2007.
The Shared Storage Plus drive comes in three sizes: 200 gigabytes, or billion bytes, costing $300; 300 gigabytes for $400 and a higher-capacity 500 gigabyte model to be introduced in October for $500.
The new product is essentially a software upgrade of existing 200 or 300 gigabyte hard drive models introduced earlier this year, which were marketed as a means for home and small business PC users to automatically back up data.
Owners of these existing hard drives can download the home entertainment hub capability for free, the company said.
The home network function puts Maxtor ahead of disk-drive competitors such as Seagate Technology Holdings and Western Digital Corp., Streit said. "We are definitely the first product out with this," Streit said.
The new system, which Maxtor is set to unveil on Wednesday, makes the company the first hard-disk supplier to begin marketing its product as a home-entertainment center that can bypass PCs and allow consumers to watch movies or play music or video games.
"It is truly an entertainment device without a PC in the equation," said Paul Streit, director of product management at Maxtor's branded products group.
Maxtor, based in Milpitas, California, is best known for making the 3.5-inch disk drives that store data on desktop computers. With the launch of its Shared Storage Plus storage hardware, the company is bypassing the personal computer, traditionally the heart of home computing.
"They are preparing themselves for being a digital hub for the home," said David Reinsel, director of storage research at market research firm IDC.
When connected to a home network, the new drive acts as a digital entertainment media center. For example, one family member could listen to music in a room upstairs while another watches a movie in the living room and a third views a slide show of vacation photos on a laptop in the kitchen, Maxtor said.
Consumers can use the hard drive to manage different music playlists in up to 10 rooms of a house. For movies, separate family members could be watching up to four different movies at a time, Streit said of the multi-tasking capacity of the device.
The Shared Storage Plus drive relies on media-management software from Mediabolic. By relying on industry standards that allow an increasing number of consumer electronics gadgets to easily connect together, the hard drive and related software can essentially do without a PC as its central intelligence.
About 18 million U.S. households use home networks, Maxtor said, with another 7 million planning to own one by 2007.
The Shared Storage Plus drive comes in three sizes: 200 gigabytes, or billion bytes, costing $300; 300 gigabytes for $400 and a higher-capacity 500 gigabyte model to be introduced in October for $500.
The new product is essentially a software upgrade of existing 200 or 300 gigabyte hard drive models introduced earlier this year, which were marketed as a means for home and small business PC users to automatically back up data.
Owners of these existing hard drives can download the home entertainment hub capability for free, the company said.
The home network function puts Maxtor ahead of disk-drive competitors such as Seagate Technology Holdings and Western Digital Corp., Streit said. "We are definitely the first product out with this," Streit said.
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