Network monitoring and analysis
Network monitoring and analysis can be challenging for today's intricate networks carrying a multitude of applications. We help you sort out the best software and tools for network management and application performance. You'll learn how network analysis and deep packet inspection work to identify bottlenecks and trouble spots. We'll teach you about best practices for analysing network reporting in order to identify vulnerabilities and proactively troubleshoot problems to improve network performance.
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News
15 Nov 2024
Broadband upstream growth rate doubles downstream increase in Q3
Latest broadband consumption research by OpenVault shows significant change in dynamics, with demographic factors also influencing speed and consumption Continue Reading
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News
13 Nov 2024
Ex-boxer fights US government over legality of Sky ECC cryptophone intercepts
Lawyers for former heavyweight boxer Goran Gogic argue that US prosecutors’ reliance on messages obtained by a European police hacking operation into the SKY ECC encrypted phone network breaches the US constitution Continue Reading
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Feature
20 Feb 2014
A guide to APM for the network manager
Has application performance management become a much needed discipline for the network manager? We examine the issues for IT departments Continue Reading
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News
20 Jan 2014
Special Report on Cisco
This special nine-page report from Computer Weekly, updated for 2014, analyses the challenges facing Cisco, its financial performance, the services it offers, its place in the IT market and its future strategy. Continue Reading
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News
14 Jan 2014
Post Office seeks contractors for network and back-office work
The Post Office is looking for IT services firms to provide back-office IT applications and networking technologies in contracts worth hundreds of millions of pounds Continue Reading
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News
06 Jan 2014
Samsung launches Smart Home ecosystem to connect home devices
Samsung has launched a connected home ecosystem at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas Continue Reading
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Photo Story
23 Dec 2013
IT at the WWF Living Planet Centre
WWF’s Living Planet Centre is one of the greenest buildings in the UK and aims to demonstrate to the public using technology how it is possible for people to live in harmony with nature Continue Reading
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E-Zine
16 Dec 2013
Can BlackBerry restore its business appeal?
In this week’s issue of Computer Weekly, we examine whether former Sybase chief, John Chen, will be able to stem the decline of BlackBerry and reinvent the the smartphone maker as a software business for the “bring your own device” (BYOD) era. Our buyer’s guide to the internet of things concludes with a look at how universal connectivity will yield insights in fields as diverse as aviation and hospitality. And we analyse Google’s attempts to compete with Amazon Web Services in public cloud. Continue Reading
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News
05 Dec 2013
UK citizen sues Microsoft over Prism private data leak to NSA
A court action brought in the UK will test Microsoft's legal right to disclose private data on UK citizens to US intelligence services Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2013
WAN Speak Musings – Volume III
Analysts Clive Longbottom and Bob Tarzey discuss all things network related in this series of 11 short business focused articles. Continue Reading
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News
07 Oct 2013
Driving Standards Agency updates WAN with MDNX
The government agency has revamped its WAN solution to link its datacentre through the PSN network to its driving test centres across the UK Continue Reading
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E-Zine
01 Oct 2013
Data speeds Mercedes F1 around the world
In this issue of CW Europe read how Tata met the challenge of providing Lewis Hamilton’s F1 team with data connection speeds to match its cars. Continue Reading
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News
30 Aug 2013
How networks and data win Formula One races for Mercedes AMG Petronas
Tata Communications joins the Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula One team to bring speedy connectivity worthy of its cars Continue Reading
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E-Zine
27 Aug 2013
The internet of things – the devices are taking over
In this week's Computer Weekly, we look at how the internet will soon be dominated by machines and sensors, rather than people, and examine the challenges posed by the internet of things. We also look at how to protect an organisation’s data assets from security breaches. And how will SAP’s cloud and in-memory expansion affect existing customers? Read the issue now. Continue Reading
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News
08 Aug 2013
Smart Grid and the Internet of Things
Rob McNamara, executive director of SmartGrid GB, tells the story behind the UK's Smart Meter project in this presentation. Continue Reading
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News
23 Jul 2013
Cisco buys cyber security company Sourcefire for $2.7bn
Networking giant Cisco has reached an agreement to buy cyber security business Sourcefire in a $2.7bn deal Continue Reading
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News
10 Jun 2013
National Fibre Strategies
Arthur D Little assess five strategic models for deploying national fibre optic telecommunications networks that have been implemented by countries around the globe. Continue Reading
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News
03 Jun 2013
WAN Speak Musings – Volume I
Analysts Clive Longbottom and Bob Tarzey discuss all things network related in this series of 12 short business focused articles. Continue Reading
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News
24 May 2013
BT and Intel invest in lab to research into future cities and telecoms technologies
A research laboratory has been launched by BT and Intel to develop networking technologies and smart city capabilities. Continue Reading
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News
29 Apr 2013
Another online firm hit by data breach
Online deals service LivingSocial is the latest company to report a breach of its computer systems that may mean attackers accessed customer details Continue Reading
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News
17 Apr 2013
The Global Information Technology Report 2013
This report from the World Economic Forum remains one of the most comprehensive and authoritative assessments of the impact of ICT on each country. Continue Reading
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News
18 Mar 2013
Underexposed risks of public Wi-Fi hotspots
This article in our Royal Holloway Information Security series assess the hidden security risks of public Wi-Fi hotspots. Continue Reading
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News
07 Feb 2013
Interview: Phil Smith, CEO of Cisco UK & Ireland
Cisco's UK CEO talks about innovation, wireless vs wired and software defined networking at the company’s annual Cisco Live event in London Continue Reading
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News
01 Feb 2013
Computer Weekly User Awards
The deadline for the Computer Weekly European User Awards for Networking has been extended to 8th February. Get the recognition you deserve! Continue Reading
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News
20 Dec 2012
Essex County Council signs £81m PSN deal
Essex County Council has signed a £81m network and telephony deal to introduce a Public Services Network (PSN) across its 200,000 users Continue Reading
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Feature
12 Nov 2012
Software-defined datacentres demystified
As datacentre managers increasingly rely on software and automation, what can a software-defined datacentre bring to the enterprise? Continue Reading
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News
29 Oct 2012
Cheshire Constabulary polices network with SolarWinds
Police force in Cheshire uses SolarWinds’ infrastructure monitoring tools to keep its IT out of trouble Continue Reading
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Feature
22 Oct 2012
How to manage your assets and control business costs
Asset lifecycle management allows the IT department to improve governance, mitigate risk and improve service quality and efficiency Continue Reading
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Photo Story
07 Oct 2012
A tour of London’s Victorian sewers: Geo Networks cabling system
Computer Weekly takes a tour of Wick Lane sewers to see how Geo Networks works in partnership with Thames Water to house its fibre cabling system. Continue Reading
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News
25 Jul 2012
Huawei Technologies' first half profits drop 22%
Chinese telecoms giant Huawei saw profits fall 22% to CNY8.79bn (£0.9bn) in its first half of 2012 compared with the same period in 2011 Continue Reading
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News
13 Jul 2012
Special Report on Cisco
This special seven-page report from Computer Weekly analyses the challenges facing Cisco, its financial performance, the services it offers, its place in the IT market and its future strategy. Continue Reading
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News
19 Jun 2012
The mobile side of net neutrality
It isn’t just ISPs managing website traffic to improve access to some destinations and limit it for others – the mobile operators are at it too Continue Reading
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News
06 Jun 2012
Top 10 tips for IPv6 security
Many organisations are being misled about the complexities surrounding IPv6 security, according to security firm Stonesoft Continue Reading
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News
01 Jun 2012
Cambridgeshire launches PSN to cut £1m per year
Cambridgeshire County Council will save £1m per year with the launch of its public services network (PSN) Continue Reading
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News
16 May 2012
London 2012 Olympic Games IT enters final test
The Atos team controlling the IT for the London 2012 Olympic Games are recreating the environment for a final test before systems go live Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2012
Canary Wharf stress test underway ahead of London Olympic Games
Businesses in Canary Wharf are running two days of stress testing to prepare for the London Olympic Games, including flexible staff working Continue Reading
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News
02 May 2012
Five trends that will affect your cloud strategy
Businesses need to keep a close eye on the evolution of cloud based services to avoid wasting money and missing out on business opportunities. Continue Reading
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E-Zine
02 Mar 2012
Next-generation network management techniques
This issue examines how network managers can simplify their management tools and use key protocols like NetFlow and IPFIX, and hardware like matrix switches. Learn how network managers are adopting new tools that give them better control over virtualized infrastructure, cloud environment and multi-vendor networks. Continue Reading
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News
27 Feb 2012
WAN optimisation: improving the performance of business applications
How can WAN optimisation support IT consumerisation and cloud computing? Continue Reading
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News
29 Dec 2011
Networking 2012: Vendors predict what's ahead for the industry
Senior vendor executives offer SearchNetworkingUK their Networking 2012 predictions for the challenges ahead, including addressing the transition to a mobile workforce. Continue Reading
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News
13 Dec 2011
Network reliability to win over innovation in 2012, says Cisco survey
Cisco’s first TechWatch 2012 report finds network reliability as opposed to innovation or performance is the most important factor for network architects in the new year ahead. Continue Reading
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News
31 Oct 2011
Are network performance monitoring tools ready to meet new challenges?
Network performance monitoring tools must adapt to handle virtual infrastructure, new applications and hybrid cloud environments. Are they ready? Continue Reading
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Tutorial
14 Oct 2011
vSwitch best practices: Know what powers your virtualised network
Virtual switches in a virtualised network offer high agility, yet potential management and design issues as well. These vSwitch best practices explore those problems and solutions. Continue Reading
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News
22 Aug 2011
Unified network management: Wired and wireless together for good?
With an integrated network management vision, two organizations improved security and reliability, and have made steps towards a fully integrated network. But will we get there? Continue Reading
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News
02 Jun 2011
Using network management and monitoring systems across IT and buildings
Bolton College linked its buildings facilities to the campus network and is using a network monitoring and management system that sees both buildings and IT resources. Continue Reading
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News
26 Nov 2009
Microsoft emphasises content management, security at launch of Vista, Office'07 and Exchange
Microsoft has declared that the combination of Windows Vista, Office System 2007 and Exchange Server 2007 have the potential to help businesses improve their productivity by making it easier to manage unstructured data. Continue Reading
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News
07 Oct 2008
Don't jump to Hyper-V unless you have to
Microsoft's Virtual Server 2005 R2 (MSVS) remains a powerful tool for managing virtual infrastructure and there's no need to rush to Hyper-V. Continue Reading
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News
30 Sep 2008
What is the ISAKMP policy and how does it impact IPsec VPN router configuration?
Learn how to implement ISAKMP policies using IKE to ensure secure VPN configuration, in part three of our VPN guide. Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2008
Managing Windows networks using scripts part 10: Some neat WMI tricks
The 10th instalment of our tutorial series on managing Windows networks with scripts offers a pair of cool WMI tricks. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jul 2008
How to move from Microsoft Virtual Server to Hyper-V
If you plan the upgrade from Virtual Server to Hyper-V, here's how to get onto Microsoft's new virtualisation platform. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Jul 2008
Network management frameworks: FCAPS and ITIL
Two network management frameworks exist that can be of some use for understanding and taming network management: FCAPS and ITIL. Learn more about what these FCAPS and ITIL are and how they can simplify network management in this crash course. Continue Reading
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News
02 Jul 2008
Unix admin tutorial: How much memory is in this machine?
It's not always straightforward to get the answer to the burning question: How much memory is in this Unix machine? David Douthitt points readers to the answers for Solaris, AIX, HPUX, Linux, OpenVMS, and FreeBSD environments. Continue Reading
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News
30 Jun 2008
Sizing server hardware for virtual machines
How many virtual machines can you put on a server? Depends upon whether your hardware and virtualisation environment are well-matched. This tip offers four criteria for selecting the right servers for VMs. Continue Reading
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News
13 Jun 2008
How can I configure 10 VLANs with 5 unmanaged switches?
Given a Cisco Layer 3 (L3) switch and 5 unmanaged switches, learn how to create 10 VLANs from our routing and switching expert, Sudhanshu Gupta. Continue Reading
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News
19 May 2008
NSW Ambulance Service rebuilds its comms systems
The Ambulance Service of New South Wales has completed a massive revamp of its networks and customer contact systems. Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2008
What is data loss prevention? -- An introduction to DLP
This Q&A discusses what data loss prevention (DLP) is and how it differs from other networking security products in securing your enterprise and keeping your business reputable. Continue Reading
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News
06 Apr 2008
Governance, compliance, security: How are these network problems?
Governance is often perceived as a C-level issue. Yet network professionals must recognise that they have responsibility for these issues too! Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Mar 2008
Upgrade your network: Network evolution and roadmap
Network upgrades are essential to provide availability, reliability and security when you run voice and video on your data network. Continue Reading
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News
05 Mar 2008
Virtual servers' impact on the network
When several servers combine as one, what does it do to the network? Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Jan 2008
Enabling Windows Vista's Network Mapping feature on domain networks
Learn how to enabling Windows Vista's Network Mapping feature on domain networks. Continue Reading
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News
21 Jan 2008
When fighting peer-to-peer, packet shaping can be more effective than cat-and-mouse
Crimping access to P2P applications may be a more effective approach than trying to ban them. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2008
When fighting peer-to-peer, packet shaping can be more effective than cat-and-mouse
Some network managers are finding that slowing peer-to-peer protocols discourages piracy better than blocking it, which users invariably find a way around. Continue Reading
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News
10 Jan 2008
Network monitoring vendors sell SMBs on usability
Ease-of-use is the key to SMB hearts when it comes to network monitoring. A new release from SolarWinds might give market leader Ipswitch some competition. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Jan 2008
Open source network monitoring: Monitor your routers with Cacti
Learn how to configure the open source network monitoring tool Cacti to poll your routers, gather network data and provide graphs based on what you configured. Continue Reading
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News
21 Nov 2007
Making the case for FCIP and FCoE
FC over IP and FC over Ethernet let companies begin consolidating on one network platform as opposed to maintaining separate FC and Ethernet networks. Continue Reading
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News
19 Nov 2007
ITIL -- What network managers need to know
This tip helps network managers about implement IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL) and explains how it can be beneficial to networking. Continue Reading
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News
11 Nov 2007
Integrating edge assets into networks can cut costs
Proper management of edge assets in a network saves money and time while avoiding headaches. Continue Reading
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News
01 Nov 2007
MPLS implementation gotchas
Eliminate network latency, without locking into an SLA with a bad service provider, by controlling and implementing multiprotocol label switching (MPLS). Continue Reading
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News
28 Oct 2007
As network configuration management matures, documentation woes linger
Documentation of networks is a tertiary consideration. Is this hurting your business? Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Oct 2007
Using VMware to test open source network analysis tools
Open source network analysis tools can help network monitoring. Try out the open source network protocol analyser Wireshark inside a VMware Player Guest OS. Continue Reading
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News
08 Oct 2007
The Tao of automated network management
Read or podcast this article about taking the first step toward an automated future by integrating network management tools. Continue Reading
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News
07 Oct 2007
Tool suites for identifying the problem -- from 'Network troubleshooting and diagnostics'
Learn network troubleshooting tool suites and their feature sets to support your technical troubleshooting activities. Continue Reading
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News
03 Oct 2007
Network engineering applications -- from 'Network troubleshooting and diagnostics'
Network analysis applications, including protocol analysers, traffic generators, and simulation tools, can be used to understand how networks operate. Continue Reading
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News
02 Oct 2007
IP address management -- from 'Network troubleshooting and diagnostics'
Learn how IP address management and maintenance tools can help manage the scope of IP addresses on your network. Continue Reading
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News
01 Oct 2007
Developing good troubleshooting technique -- from 'Network troubleshooting and diagnostics'
The most important part of troubleshooting is technique. This excerpt examines several approaches such as Bottom-Up, Top-Down, and Divide-and-Conquer methods Continue Reading
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News
28 Aug 2007
VoIP, unified communications study reveals challenges
VoIP and unified communications deployments can affect other applications. A study by Network General highlighted some challenges introduced by convergence. Continue Reading
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News
09 Aug 2007
Network navigation -- Chapter 6 of 'Microsoft Windows Vista Administration'
Microsoft introduced a new way to view and navigate a network with Windows Vista. This chapter from 'Microsoft Windows Vista Administration' examines such new network navigation tools as Network Map and Network Details. If you have several networks that your users need to connect to using a single computer, you'll find this chapter will explain how you can manage those connections more simply and efficiently than in earlier versions of Windows. Continue Reading
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News
09 Aug 2007
Network navigation -- Chapter 6 of 'Microsoft Windows Vista Administration'
Microsoft introduced a new way to view and navigate a network with Windows Vista. This chapter from 'Microsoft Windows Vista Administration' examines such new network navigation tools as Network Map and Network Details. If you have several networks that your users need to connect to using a single computer, you'll find this chapter will explain how you can manage those connections more simply and efficiently than in earlier versions of Windows. Continue Reading
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News
06 Aug 2007
F5 buys Acopia for US$210M
F5 joins the storage market with the acquisition of file virtualisation switch company Acopia. Continue Reading
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News
29 May 2007
Bridging VoIP islands
WAN optimisation makes it possible to connect campus VoIP connections Continue Reading
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News
21 May 2007
Microsoft, TCG partner on network access control; Cisco takes own route
Microsoft and the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) have joined forces to create better interoperability between network access control solutions with the announcement of a new specification which ensures that Microsoft's Network Access Protection (NAP) and TCG's Trusted Network Connect (TNC) architecture can work together. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Apr 2007
VLANs -- Controlling wired and wireless traffic
Today, most business networks rely on virtual LANs (VLANs) to partition Ethernets and control the destinations reached by each worker. As users begin to shift between Ethernet and Wi-Fi throughout the work day, it makes sense to apply VLANs to both wired and wireless network access. This tip describes common methods for mapping Wi-Fi stations onto corporate VLANs and suggests when you might want to do so. Continue Reading
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News
25 Feb 2007
Gartner: Quad-core slowed 2006 server sales
New Gartner data suggests that quad-core servers are not exciting users. Continue Reading
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News
20 Feb 2007
All about automation
Automating your IT operations is a trick that creates obvious benefits. In this article, we explain how data center automation can help an entire enterprise. Continue Reading
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News
27 Jan 2007
Network visualization, automation: At odds?
Visualization is a powerful tool. But in the context of network management, the prevalence of graphs may indicate that your network management system (NMS) is not ready to meet the requirements of autonomic network performance. Why so? Loki Jorgenson explains in this tip. Continue Reading
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News
17 Jan 2007
Reasons why enterprise networking and security roles must stay separate
Enterprise network managers are responsible for configuring and managing network devices, but should they be accountable for tasks that are typically handled by the information security team? Contributor Shon Harris examines why networking and information security tasks should not be shared. Continue Reading
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News
18 Dec 2006
WLAN interference and clogged pipes -- happy holidays!
WLAN interference caused by decorations and slowed traffic due to online shopping are just some of the network woes of the holidays. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Nov 2006
Slow response times from client/server PC's running IFS applications
How do you find out the culprit of a network delays when you see little bandwidth being used? Read this Q&A to see what our network administrating expert, Lindi Horton, has to say. Continue Reading
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News
25 Oct 2006
Video, audio are network drains
Network misuse is rampant, according to a recent survey. Employees using the corporate network for recreation or high-bandwidth business can put a strain on network resources, but network engineers can combat that with filtering and monitoring. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Oct 2006
Minimum and maximum Ethernet frame sizes
In this Q&A, Lindi Horton answers the question "What is the minimum and maximum size of an Ethernet frame that carries an IP packet which in turn carries an ICMP packet?" Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Oct 2006
Link and port aggregation information
Need some clarification on link and port aggregation? Here, our expert, Lindi Horton, provides us with just that in this Q&A. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Oct 2006
Troubleshooting your network
In this Q&A, our expert, Lindi Horton, helps with troubleshooting a network that has problems staying up in the evening. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Oct 2006
The most commonly used network operating system
In this Q&A, Lindi Horton answers the question "What network operating system is more currently and commonly used?" Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Oct 2006
How to prevent former employees and administrators from accessing your server
What do you do if you have ex-employees or even ex-administrators accessing your server remotely? How do you prevent them from doing this? Our expert, Lindi Horton, can tell you how. Continue Reading
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News
20 Sep 2006
Reporter's notebook: Hidden gems of Interop
The Interop conference in New York this week featured the usual suspects talking about their newest offerings and the industry at large. Continue Reading
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News
19 Sep 2006
NAC, VPNs and behavior analysis in the Interop spotlight
Security for the enterprise network was emphasised at Interop New York as vendors rolled out and upgraded NAC, VPN, network behavior analysis, and other threat protection products. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Sep 2006
Migrating to MPLS
As more organizations begin to take advantage of MPLS' offerings, network engineers must learn how to prepare their current networks for transition. This tip explains basic MPLS implementations and shows you some common configurations for MPLS VPNs. It also provides a sample configuration and routing considerations to keep in mind. Continue Reading
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News
31 Aug 2006
Configuring managed and unmanaged switches
In this Q&A, Sudhanshu Gupta answers which cable to use with managed and unmanaged switches. Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2006
Duplex mismatch
This article helps networking engineers understand the issues behind duplex mismatch, one of the most troublesome problems in today's Ethernet networks. Learn why duplex mismatch occurs and how you can prevent it with autonegotiation and hard coding. Continue Reading