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HEADLINES AT A GLANCE"Peer to Peer: As
the Revolution Recedes" "Peer to Peer: As the Revolution
Recedes" Peer-to-peer (P2P) technology is apparently losing its glamour in the corporate world, but maintaining its allure simply because of its efficiency. Although consumer-oriented, file-trading P2P projects by StreamCast Networks, Kazaa, MusicCity, and others face the threat of massive lawsuits, business-oriented P2P companies such as Groove Networks and NextPage are gaining traction. Experts say the decentralized design of P2P will help secure companies against physical disruptions as well as cut costs. Groove, founded by Lotus Notes pioneer Ray Ozzie, recently secured a 10,000-seat license deal from GlaxoSmithKline and $51 million in funding from Microsoft. Meanwhile new companies Kontiki and Red Swoosh are targeting the industrial strength P2P content delivery market dominated by Akamai Technologies. Larger technology firms Intel and Sun Microsystems are also pioneering business P2P standards and platforms through Intel's work in the Peer-to-Peer Working Group and Sun's Jxta, which is a new programming language platform designed to facilitate more powerful P2P applications. (Enterprise Networking) "Scientists Use Optics to Speed
Data Transfer on Chips" Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have succeeded in building a computer chip that transmits data in light form, rather than with electricity, thus promising much faster data transfer rates. Using a synthetic sapphire base, the researchers can speed data between parts of the chip up to 100 times faster, and at lower power, than conventional methods, via microscopic lasers installed on the chip. Optical receiver circuits change incoming electric signals into light and back. John Hopkins doctoral student Alyssa Apsel predicts commercial applications for the technology in a few years in the optical processing and local-area networking sectors. (Optical Communications and Networking) "Security Overhaul for Wireless
Networks" Wireless networks are seen as an easier and cheap alternative to land-based systems, making them a popular option for a growing number of businesses. However, many neglect to turn on their Wireless Equivalent Privacy (Wep) options when using wireless networks. Wep, which utilizes an RSA-developed RC4 algorithm to encrypt data, has gained a bad reputation for allowing hackers to decode encryption keys. By capturing data packets traveling to and from hubs and connected computers, hackers can eventually work out encryption keys being used to scramble data throughout the network. RSA has come up with a "Fast Packet Keying" package that provides each individual packet with its own encryption key and notes that many of the perceived vulnerabilities were not due to the technology, but implementation. However, Nokia's Bob Brace says Wep is already discredited in the eyes of many users and network administrators as being a fundamentally weak system. (Network Reliability, Security and Quality Assurance) "Take a SIP" The IETF's Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) promises to make voice IP networks interoperable and add new features and applications. SIP-based voice-over-IP services such as WorldCom's IP Centrex would enable users to make calls using numbers found in corporate directories, utilize universal messaging for email, fax, and voice, add and remove users, and modify applications. The self-provisioning feature will be the most significant advantage over traditional Centrex service, according to Steve Blair of the University of Pennsylvania, which is beta-testing the WorldCom offering. "We're hoping WorldCom's [IP Centrex] will provide the level of service our customers are asking for while improving our process for activating, changing and deactivating [phone] services on campus," he says. Cisco, Pingtel, Siemens, and Avaya are just some of the vendors that support SIP or are planning to add SIP support. Microsoft's Windows XP operating system also supports SIP to facilitate various real-time communications as well as instant-message presence leveraging. Most large vendors use the ITU H.323 standard, but experts say SIP will eventually overshadow H.323 because of the applications it offers, such as making weather and stock reports accessible through SIP-based phones. (Communications Standards) "Waiting for Wireless in the United
States" Wireless technologies have thus far failed to match the hype of 3G networks. No technology can yet reach the 144 Kbps data rate the ITU defines as 3G-level. Cell phone and cellular network vendors promote 3G devices with many features, such as Web browsers and high-resolution video screens, but carriers such as Nextel Communications, Vodafone, and NTT DoCoMo are scaling back their 3G initiatives because of high costs. Metricom's Ricochet service delivered 3G speeds, but its high monthly fees kept it from penetrating the mass market. In the meantime, 3G network operators are sticking with telephony, hoping to enhance it with location-based maps, text messages, and other data services that can be accessed by mobile phone. The United States lags behind the rest of the Western world in 2G technology, while a shortage of radio spectrum is likely to widen the technology gap even further. The U.S. spectrum currently operates at only 700 MHz, compared to 2,000 MHz for most of the world. American wireless operators will use the same spectrum that 2G networks use to deploy 3G networks, until at least 2007, drawing out a costly migration process that carriers in Europe and Japan have decided to forego by installing entirely new networks. (Wireless Communications) "Optical Interconnects" Data transfer rates between computer components could be significantly enhanced with the deployment of optical interconnects, and researchers predict such devices will make their way into high-end computers within the next decade. Replacing the metal wires that transmit data between chips with optics will consume less power and eliminate data bottlenecks. Agilent Labs and Anthony F.J. Levi of the University of Southern California have devised a method to network computers optically using vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers. Agilent's Waguih Ishak thinks these devices could be applied to data transfer within computers as well. However, a technique to direct light through a circuit board must also be formulated, and several initiatives are underway to solve this problem. Agilent and IBM are researching photonic crystals as a building material for waveguides. Lionel Kimerling of MIT has built 200-nm waveguides, while Stanford University electrical engineer David Miller has proposed using a mirror array to bounce light rays through air gaps. Alternative data transfer technologies will be critical, as experts predict that metal interconnects will probably reach their limit in five years. (Optical Communications) "Enterprise Technologies That
Changed 2001: Part 1" Analysts list Internet and network security among the most important enterprise technology breakthroughs of the past year, according to an informal poll by NewsFactor Network. The Yankee Group's Matthew Kovar notes that security intelligence services, security management platforms, and remote end-point security services have had significant effects on company business processes. They help businesses protect against hackers and viruses through scanning, firewalls, and new threats as companies extend mobile and virtual private networks (VPNs). The Yankee Group forecasts a huge surge in the VPN security market over the next few years, says Kovar. International Data (IDC) analyst Alan Promisel points out that 2001 was the year that integrated biometrics were incorporated on notebook PCs, and expects this trend to continue as more and more notebooks containing critical data are deployed. "Biometrics offer another layer of security, and that's been on everyone's mind since September 11th," he explains. Some analysts say that VPNs, especially IP-based VPNs, came into their own in 2001. Zeus Kerravala, also from The Yankee Group, says that IP VPNs have emerged as a viable alternative to frame relay and asynchronous transfer mode networks. (Enterprise Networking) "IBM Continues Supercomputing Deal
Spree" IBM has agreed to provide supercomputing services for the University of Texas for Austin's advanced computing center (TACC). The IBM systems will help the UT Center for Space Research work out the logistical wrinkles of a future manned trip to Mars. "The raw floating point performance coupled with the excellent bandwidth of the IBM systems gives our researchers vast improvements in performance," says TACC director Dr. Jay Boisseau. A pair of IBM Linux Clusters and four eServer p690s will be used to fine-tune space navigation and detail the planet's environment. New computing grids at TACC will also be tested with the IBM systems. This deal comes a mere week after IBM made a similar arrangement with the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. (Computer Communications, Systems and Protocols) "FCC Set to Expand Wireless
Frontier" The FCC is close to approving ultrawideband (UWB), new wireless technology that could enable such applications as collision-avoidance systems for automobiles, wireless home networking, tracking of retail items or military gear, and cheap security systems. UWB can detect objects and gauge their position more accurately than radar, using pulses of radio energy that can be transmitted as rapidly as 1 billion per second. The technology also functions across a wide frequency spectrum and can operate at high speeds while using less power. However, airlines, the Defense Department, and others complain that UWB's large frequency range might cause it to interfere with Global Positioning Systems (GPS) devices. FCC officials claim UWB's low energy emissions are unlikely to generate interference, while Time Domain's Jeff Ross says that competition is the real reason GPS users are opposed to it. The FCC is expected to approve of the technology in February. (Wireless Communications) "Reverse Engineering and the
Computing Profession" The reverse engineering of computer software raises many legal, technical, ethical, and social issues. The process is a critical part of software evaluation and assessment. Software can be copyrighted to prevent it from being reproduced and adapted without authorization, but reverse engineering leaves the issue open to debate. A decision in the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court allowed reverse engineering of software for interoperability purposes, while the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) includes a provision that sanctions reverse engineering for encryption research and security testing of computer programs and networks. However, the language used in the security-testing exception is being contested by computer security researchers, who note that they are not allowed to release or publish any discoveries made through reverse engineering. This in turn can create a chilling effect on innovation, which yields fewer benefits to society. Further confusion is caused by the fact that software can also be patented. In the end, it is the responsibility of the legal community and the computing community to educate each other; the legal community must clarify the meaning of the various intellectual property systems, while the computing community must help the legal community understand technology and how proposed legislation can impact software and its development. (Computer Communications, Systems and Protocols) "Mr. Schmidt Goes to
Washington" As Microsoft chief security officer Howard Schmidt moves to help with the federal government's Critical Infrastructure Protection Board (CIP), experts are questioning the approach both industry and government officials are taking to homeland security. The consensus is that more cooperation is needed in the area of IT data security, but concrete steps are also needed to directly link national infrastructure providers to government bodies such as the CIP. Joe Weiss, of the Electric Power Research Institute, points out the problem, saying, "The Web sites will be safe, but the lights will be out, and water and oil won't flow." He says important companies, such as GTE and Siemens, are not yet involved in the Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security, another key government-industry collaboration. Although the appointment of Microsoft's Schmidt is a move in the right direction, melding industry policy expertise with government security efforts, more analytical capabilities are needed, says one former senior government official. (Enterprise Networking) "Give It to a Grid" For some time, universities and academics have been using computing grids to handle enormous amounts of data. Computing grids provide users with processing, storage, and other IT resources on a temporary basis, a boon for organizations that cannot afford to purchase their own supercomputers. Businesses are also investigating grids. Manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies can use them to run product simulations, while biotech firms can crunch genome data. Grids are also being used by university researchers to hold videoconferences with dozens of participants. Even more processing power could be yielded by a network of linked grids, a development that requires political wrangling between rival grid providers. The largest grid yet announced is the National Science Foundation's Teragrid, a $53 million system capable of processing almost 13 trillion operations each second. (Computer Communications, Systems and Protocols) "Is the Internet a Safe
Haven?" Security experts continue to have concerns about the safety of the Internet, with Couterpane Internet Security reporting that "as many as 50 percent of all DNS servers connected to the Internet are running vulnerable versions of BIND." Counterpane CTO Bruce Schneier warns that the Internet is not as hardy as some people believe it to be and that the medium could be brought down for weeks or months at a time by a potent attack. Air Force CIO John Gilligan believes the discover-and-patch method of dealing with software and coding vulnerabilities is simply inadequate. "The real consequence of the technical interdependence of our information infrastructure is that we are only as strong as the weakest link," says Gilligan. ICANN's Nov. 2001 meeting, which focused on DNS root-server security, was an attempt to address some Internet security problems. In terms of solutions, 128-bit SSL encryption is not legally exported from the United States due to concerns by the FBI and U.S. military that 128-bit is uncrackable, and as a result many international browsers use only low-level encryption. One South African company, Thawte, does sell 128-bit SSL certificates to international markets under the product name of SuperCerts. PKI is another Internet security tool that uses certificates. (Internet Architecture, Technology and Applications) "10 Gigabits and Beyond" The 10 Gigabit Ethernet standard will be hard-pressed to maintain its predecessors' domination of local, campus, and metropolitan networks. 10G links are 20 to 90 times more costly than current Gigabit Ethernet links because of the sophistication of the platform technology. Meanwhile, enterprises do not necessarily require high-speed connections at the moment because of low network utilization, although they may host applications that are slowed by bandwidth limitations. There are no apparent technical hitches with the standard, according to Spirent's Mark Fishburn. Avaya, Cisco Systems, and other suppliers have promised to sell 10G products, and have formed the 10 Gigabit Ethernet Alliance to ensure interoperability. 10 Gigabit Ethernet could ease the delivery of high-speed, metropolitan area network services for bandwidth-heavy applications such as voice telephony and video streaming. Other potential applications include a simpler way to manage storage area networks. IEEE is expected to ratify the 10 Gigabit Ethernet specification in the second quarter of 2002. (Communications Standards; Gigabit Networking) "Cave of Dreams" Several educational institutions are making significant progress in simulation technology. The University of Illinois' Electronic Visualization Laboratory has produced sophisticated tele-immersion environments that consist of large panel displays controlled by virtual reality (VR) gloves and stereo glasses. The Virtual Reality Applications Center at the University of Iowa has developed even more immersive synthetic environments called C2 and C6. C6 is more advanced, with six screens, 3D sound, 6D tracking, and wireless input gear. It offers a shared but unique experience for users, a quality that could yield VR applications that are truly workable. The most ambitious virtual environment initiative is that of the Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), an arm of the University of Southern California sponsored by the U.S. Army. The goal of the project is to create an all-encompassing, totally immersive world that military personnel can sense, feel, and interact with. ICT's physical proximity to Hollywood is no coincidence, as the strength of the virtual world will be narrative content that the film and television industry excels at. (Multimedia Communications and Digital Media) "Message in a Bottleneck" Two-way wireless text messaging systems are less data-heavy than telephony, affording them greater flexibility and reliability. In addition to being handy in times of emergency, they offer inconspicuous communications through devices such as pagers and cell phones. Senders and recipients do not need to be present at the same time to communicate, while the cost of such messaging is less expensive than cell-phone calls. However, two-way wireless messaging is employed by a mere 1.5 million people in the United States. The low adoption levels are directly attributable to the fact that the technology lacks a universal interface as well as smooth integration with other wireless services. European users do not have to deal with such problems because Europe adopted a telephone system with one wireless standard. In contrast, American two-way messaging services suffer from incompatible formats, while some companies do not offer the service at all. Moreover, U.S. phone companies are racing to set standards and technologies, resulting in a flood of systems marked by incompatibility and under-utilization. (Wireless Communications)
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