Networld+Interop, held in April in Las Vegas, brought in 50,000 eager attendees to see 608 exhibitors displaying their connectivity wares. Products as simple as modems -- connecting home computer users to the Internet via an online service or an Internet provider -- or as high-end as connecting branch offices to corporate networks, were on display.
HIGHLIGHTS
One show spotlight was the all-new Internet business exhibition called Interop DotCom. This special exhibition gave attendees a first look at the latest Internet technologies like Java, hardware and software, electronic commerce security and encryption, intranet applications, Web sites and other products dealing with the Internet.
The keynotes included industry veterans Bill Gates, chairman and CEO of Microsoft; Bob Frankenberg, CEO of Novell; John Gerdelman, president of networkMCI Services; Peter Neumann, principal scientist at SRI International; and Maks Wulkan, co-founder of Eicon Technology.
INTERACTIVITY
One of the interactive facilities provided by exhibitors included InteropNet. It enabled attendees to learn about preserving their existing network investment and extending their network beyond the enterprise. This spring's InteropNet connected Networld+Interop at the Las Vegas Convention Center to the Las Vegas Hilton and the Riviera hotels, which hosted Networld+Interop conferences and tutorials that required Internet connectivity.
This all-encompassing "live" network runs three different high-level networking protocols -- including TCP/IP, IPX and Appletalk -- over a large base of transport protocols including 10BaseT Ethernet, ATM, Fast Ethernet and VG AnyLAN, which were delivered through three different media types -- twisted pair copper, fiber-optic cable and wireless.
The solutions showcase demonstrations provided a look at multivendor demos of the latest network infrastructure and application technology. This is where attendees could see for themselves how products from competing vendors interact in a test-bed environment. Some of the demonstrations included using the Resource Reservation Protocol; ATM interoperability such as LAN emulation; Fast Ethernet; 100VG AnyLAN; and high performance parallel interface technology.
Another interactive facility geared toward attendees was Networld+Interop Online. This service put Networld+ Interop on the Internet and provided attendees with exhibitor and conference information 24 hours a day. Attendees were able to connect to the Internet through computers located in the Las Vegas Convention Center and at the Las Vegas Hilton hotel.
Networld+Interop Online gave direct links to exhibitors' World Wide Web home pages as well as a way to create a conference schedule, locate products on the show floor and get detailed information on events.
Novell provided free GroupWise e-mail accounts to all attendees during the show. The system also gave users a way to access the Web via GroupWise WebAccess, which is designed for advanced messaging and collaborative services.
FORE Systems, Nortel, Premisys and ADC Kentrox provided a hands-on ATM training classroom so attendees could learn about LAN configuration with ATM and configuring a WAN through ATM cell multiplexors.
Although the Web and Internet products took the show spotlight, Novell's NetWare was found everywhere. The NetWare User Conference was held in conjunction to Networld+ Interop but run separately by NetWare Users International. The conference consisted of seminars presented by Novell instructors, engineers, and outside consultants and system integrators.
HOT PRODUCTS
Since the show had a major focus on Internet products, a horde of vendors added Internet capabilities to their applications. Bill Gates officially announced the release of Exchange. Microsoft says it is positioning Exchange as an advanced client/server messaging system with industrial-strength connectivity and administration using Windows NT. The product includes private and public folders, built-in scheduling, customizable views and integration to the World Wide Web.
Hummingbird Communications and Simware Inc. were two other companies integrating Internet capabilities into their products. Hummingbird announced Columbus 1.0, a software product that combines a Web browser, document management and indexing capabilities. This product is available free of charge from Hummingbird's Web site
Simware's product is a server-based application that is designed to provide users with access to 3270 applications through a Web browser. This product, called Salvo Server Edition, works in conjunction with Simware's Web server and connects through a common gateway interface that dynamically converts 3270 data streams to HTML.
Because there are more telecommuters and home office computer users, the ability to remotely access corporate networks is a must. Stampede Technologies sneak previewed its remote node accelerator program, an innovative remote node accelerator software solution that enables users in the field to connect back to the corporate LAN with considerably less access time. The software solution is designed for remote node architectures and does not require any modifications to the network's configuration.
Stampede's product, OverDrive, is a client/server utility designed to increase performance of file-system applications over a remote node connection. It reduces traffic and increases bandwidth on the remote access link. The result is increased performance between the client and server.
Additionally, 3Com Corp. introduced the AccessBuilder 7000 Access Concentrator to its family of remote access products. This device is Ethernet-based, connected to a Web server and used to concentrate Internet traffic as well as share information between central and remote sites.
WRAP-UP
Now that the Internet, the World Wide Web, and new products such as Java and Windows 95 are becoming household words, companies are focusing on products that fit into these marketable categories.
While there are many products that provide Internet access and management, and Web home page creation, purchasers should make sure the product includes enough features and capabilities to grow with the industry and provide long-term solutions.
Kimberly Maxwell is the author of "The Modem Coach." She lives in Tucson, Ariz.
