March 16, 2006 -- Market Analysis: ESB
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Market Analysis: Enterprise Service Bus By David Stodder An enterprise service bus aligned with a service-oriented architecture can keep business processes flexible. Here's how to see through the hype on this new and complex technology and make the right choices.

Review: ESB Suites By Lori MacVittie The promise of constructing applications by orchestrating services and processes without writing a single line of code is tantalizing. We tested eight ESB suites to see which one offered the smoothest ride. Our top pick cruised into first place thanks to its powerful Web-based orchestration, monitoring and reporting.

Review: Data Center Switches By Sean Doherty We tested three data center switches for ease of management, reliability and more. Our Editor's Choice won thanks to its Web-based interface and ease of use. Find out which one got the nod!

Workshops

How To: Setting Up Active Directory Group Policies By Michael Fudge AD's Group Policy lets you set up and control exactly how users and computers operate so you can easily institute changes and controls -- just be sure you test and document it.

Hewlett-Packard's DL 585 Server By Don MacVittie HP introduces its DL 585 server with four 64-bit AMD Opteron 880 dual-core processors.

Lucid Security's ipAngel 400 By Jordan Wiens The latest version of this adaptive intrusion-prevention system gets some things right -- like an inline firewall and easy interface -- but it still has a way to go to earn its wings.

Netcordia's NetMRI 1.5p1 By Bruce Boardman The NetMRI network configuration management tool lacks some features of competitive offerings but excels in specific areas such as its policy engine, low-impact discovery and ease of use.

PacketMotion PacketSentry 2.0.3 By John H. Sawyer PacketMotion's PacketSentry 2.0.3 fills in the gaps where IDS and network flow monitoring fall short.

Opera 9.0 Technology Preview 2 By Dennis Fowler The upcoming version of the Opera alternative browser will offer BitTorrrent transfers and widgets, among other things.

SiteAdvisor By Barbara Krasnoff Like a Signpost or warning signal, SiteAdvisor helps you avoid the Internet's more dangerous dark alleys.

ThinkPad T60p By David Haskin This new ThinkPad is a powerhouse, delivering two new technologies -- a dual-core processor and built-in 3G -- in a surprisingly light, if expensive package.

No More Wires! By Jennifer Zaino In this edition: Tidy up your office with a cable-free USB hub. Also, Cingular offers a Yahoo friendly phone, Spotware Wireless improves cell phone signal strength indoors and more.

Last Mile: Faith and Begorah! By Tim Wilson and Tom LaSusa In this edition we point out the Top 11 worst ways to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in the data center. Plus, air-cooled mouse pads and MP3 players for the aquatically challenged.

Letters: The Right Tool By NWC Readers Pamela Rasey contends, "Although who is ultimately accountable for network design and coverage isn't clearly delineated at many companies, there are tools that can make the design and commissioning of these networks easier."

Quick Takes: Physical Layer Management By Jennifer Zaino This edition looks at iTracs Physical Layer Manager 8.0. We also scope out products from Gigamon, Insightix and X1 Technologies.

The Art of IT: Keeping It Real By Art Wittmann Network Computing editors are committed to creating the most comprehensive tests -- and therefore the most thorough analysis -- of technology anywhere.

Reality IT: Quelling The Boss' Open-Source Fears By Hunter Metatek Executives may not realize it, but today's enterprises run open-source software throughout the network. When they do find out, it usually leaves them in need of reassurance.

Building Your Own NAS, Part 3 By Don MacVittie Note to all you system builders out there: Although the standard says PCI-X is backward compatible, most implementations are not.

"But I AM the Administrator!" By Lori MacVittie While testing a product for a review, we got a rather surprising exception error message.

3G and Smartphones: Cautious Optimism By Dave Molta Progress made in recent years by service providers and equipment manufacturers is impressive. However, the business value for most organizations is still tenuous.

Open Source = Irrational Exuberance? By David Greenfield Open-source routing has its role to play in the market, but don't expect it to be in the enterprise anytime soon.

You've Got Hate Mail By Andrew Conry-Murray Over 500 different interest groups have joined forces to protest AOL's new program, which lets commercial mailers pay up to one penny per e-mail to bypass AOL's spam filters and get guaranteed delivery into users' inboxes.

Tell Us About It: Host Intrusion Prevention By Jennifer Zaino Concerns over false positves and management complexity compel organizations to seriously scrutinize HIP products.

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