Daily Network Monitor

In a rather intriguing article in the Windows Networking Newsletter by Dave Kearns.

As Dave points out, “About 20 years ago, the U.S. standardized on the first Sunday in April and the last Sunday in October as the dates to change. Soon thereafter, the Windows operating system knew to check the date and adjust the time on those occasions.

That all changes this year. Starting in 2007, DST will begin on the second Sunday in March and end on the first Sunday in November. There will be patches for your server and desktop operating systems (and your laptops, palmtops and all the other Windows platforms) and the automated changes will continue to occur at the right time – provided you’ve patched your systems up to date by the beginning of March 2007.

But there’s a trap lurking on most of your computers which, while not quite as serious as the old Y2K bug, will still be almost as annoying to overcome. And not only is it NOT Microsoft’s fault, but you can lay the blame directly at the feet of Sun. ”

“Sun’s Java Runtime Engine (JRE) has its own built-in time calculation, just like Windows. Unfortunately, it’s embedded in the JRE. There’s no easy way to create a simple patch that can be applied to any version of the JRE – you actually have to install a totally recompiled JRE that has the updated rules embedded in it.”

“Because of the way that Java apps are distributed, and because no vendor can be sure that you already have a compatible version of the JRE for their application, there are probably dozens of JREs, in different versions, scattered around your computers. That’s dozens on each of them, I might add. And every single one of them needs to be replaced. Better get started, you’ve only got four months! ”

Here is a link to the entire article.

Solera Networks, Inc., has introduced a new hardware product; for managing packet recorders distributed throughout a network. Here is an excerpted version of the press release that announced the product.

Control Center software for its packet recorder appliances. This initial release of the web-based interface software allows network administrators and security analysts to:

- Select, start, and stop physical capture, virtual replay, and/or regeneration processes
- Create and apply filters to the network data stream before capture or upon replay
- View graphical and numerical status of key system metrics
- Navigate and download PCAP files or PCAP header files of stored network data
- Create custom PCAP files selected by date-time or file size from the stored data
- Issue console commands to the appliance
- Add and manage users and user rights

Based on proprietary system software and the DS infinite storage file system, Solera Networks DS appliances achieve over 2X the sustainable capture and stream to disk rates of competitive products and can directly address disk storage in excess of 240 TB.

The DS series appliances capture LAN and WAN traffic of all types including T1, E1, digital, T3, DS3, E3, VoIP, HSSI, and all other packetized transport protocols. Up to 10 capture or regeneration ports can be configured on each device with 10/100, GigE, 10GbE, or Fiber Channel adapters.”

Ipswitch Fortifies Network Operations Services of Connected Office(TM) Solution
LEXINGTON, MA and OTTAWA, CANADA — (MARKET WIRE) — January 16, 2007 — Ipswitch, Inc., a leading IT software vendor, and The Utility Company, a leading supplier of information technology delivered as a utility service, today announced a strategic partnership aimed at the small- and medium-sized business (SMB) market. The partnership will leverage the power of Ipswitch’s WhatsUp network monitoring software within The Utility Company’s new managed services offering, Connected Office.

Connected Office is designed to provide Utility Service Provider (USP) franchisees and their end-user customers with practically everything needed for remote managed IT services through a usage-based utility computing model. Using Connected Office, USPs can easily offer SMB end-users improved network performance and reliability. At the same time, they are able to more easily leverage technology to better execute, automate and manage key business processes without having to hire an IT administrator.

This managed services approach is rapidly gaining traction in the market according to a recent study on managed services from research firm, InfoTech. The study says the market for managed services is expected to experience double-digit growth for the next five years because organizations are looking to improve network performance, increase network reliability and reduce business risk.

“Connected Office enables companies to focus on business productivity and not on technology operations. The Utility Company is partnering with Ipswitch to deliver the network monitoring requirements that underpin Connected Office,” said Mark Scott, President of The Utility Company. “We are following our own advice by partnering with a company that has an easy-to-use, off-the-shelf product that will very quickly enable our USP franchises to profitably deliver managed/utility services.”

Ipswitch’s WhatsUp Professional 2006 Premium Edition monitors and manages application and network resources to keep critical business infrastructure, like email servers and databases, up and running so companies can focus on their core business without worrying about the technology that supports it. WhatsUp is both fast to deploy and exceptionally easy to use.

“Our partnership with The Utility Company is bringing a new approach to the market that will enable end-users to drive higher levels of performance,” said Ennio Carboni, Director of Product Management, Ipswitch. “The Utility Company’s philosophy and Connected Office solution is a strong complement to our software. Together we are bringing a unique ’shrink-wrapped’ offering to the market.”

Availability

The Connected Office 2.0 service suite is currently available. For more information on the offering, see “The Utility Company™ Powers Up at Xchange ‘06″ at: http://www.theutilitycompany.com/News/2006/08-14-2006.asp.

About The Utility Company

The Utility Company™, the leader in Technology-as-a-Service™, delivers information technology as a utility to small- and medium-sized businesses providing the required hardware, software and service for a monthly fee per user. Our Connected Office™ service suite empowers people to properly leverage technology to operate, communicate and manage their business more effectively to increase productivity, performance and ultimately profit. Our customers are supported by the Utility Service Network delivering on-site service and business-technology consulting across North America; technology sales and service professionals can review the Beyond Managed Services™ franchise opportunity on our website. Learn how to make technology work for your business today at www.theutilitycompany.com.

*****************************************
About Ipswitch, Inc.

Ipswitch develops and markets innovative IT software that is easy to learn and use. More than 100 million people worldwide use Ipswitch software to monitor their networks with Ipswitch WhatsUp®, transfer files over the Internet using the market leading Ipswitch WS_FTP® Professional client and Ipswitch WS_FTP Server and communicate via Ipswitch Imail™ Server. To view the Daily Network Monitor blog, visit http://www.dailynetworkmonitor.com. For product and sales information, write to info@ipswitch.com or visit http://www.ipswitch.com. Ipswitch values community involvement; visit http://icare.ipswitch.com to find out how to become involved.

WS_FTP and WhatsUp are registered trademarks of Ipswitch, Inc.

The Utility Company, Connected Office, Beyond Managed Services, and Technology-as-a-Service are trademarks of The Utility Company Ltd. All other product names are property of their respective owners.

*************************************

Media Contacts:
David Karp
Ipswitch, Inc.
781-676-5794
pr@ipswitch.com
http://www.ipswitch.com

Nancy Pieretti
Davies Murphy Group, Inc.
781-418-2424
ipswitch@daviesmurphy.com
http://www.daviesmurphy.com

Aaron Bradley
The Utility Company, Ltd.
613-591-9800 x26
abradley@theutilitycompany.com
http://www.theutilitycompany.com

You can read the original release here.