Showtime for the Internet

The Internet has become more than a buzzword. It's become the way people communicate and connect enterprises. That was obvious at this spring's Networld+Interop show held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, where 638 exhibitors displayed and demonstrated an assortment of ATM and switched Internets; gigabit Ethernet; network management and security tools; wireless and wireline technology; electronic commerce; Internet and corporate intranet solutions; and computer telephony. More than 55,000 resellers, VARs and integrators attended the show during the five-day conference and exhibition. There, they saw the latest and greatest technologies available on the market.

Keynotes Discuss Internet
Keynote speakers at the conference concentrated on the latest issues surrounding the Internet. Kim Polese, CEO of Marimba, spoke on Internet architecture in the year 2000; and David House, president and CEO of Bay Networks, discussed the flourishing service provider market.

Polese took a look at the next generation of Internet tools that will help leverage the global nature of the Internet as well as optimize the distribution of applications and content through the more efficient treatment of bandwidth.

House discussed how online service providers are competing to bring businesses and consumers the fastest, cheapest and most effective Internet and intranet access. He said online service providers include telecommunications carriers; national, regional and local Internet Service Providers (ISPs); and cable television operators. House told attendees about the state of the service provider market and the new challenges they face.

A third keynote speaker, Tom Lyon, CTO and founder of Ipsilon Networks Inc., had another perspective on ISPs and telecommunications giants. Lyon said these service providers gloat that the clients they connect to the Internet have a successful connection on the first try 90 percent of the time. This is virtually impossible, Lyon said, since consumers and home computer users haven't truly embraced the Internet because it isn't as reliable as the telephone network.

Lyon said consumers must have a constant Internet connection so they can get information they want, without worrying about how they get it. "The carriers must become the ISPs and the ISPs must become the carriers," he said.

Lock Up Your Data
Many vendors at the conference focused on new products and services for Internet security. As the Internet increases its reach into the enterprise, companies and government agencies are becoming concerned about securing their information. Several vendors debuted products and services to lock up data, including Finjan Inc., RedCreek Inc., Internet Security Systems Inc., Symantec Corp., McAfee Associates Inc. and the National Computer Security Association.

In addition, there were murmurs on the show floor that IBM had announced the discovery of uncrackable public key encryption. IBM claimed the new cryptosystem relies on finding a "unique shortest vector" in an n-dimensional lattice that offers an encryption scheme far more secure than today's public/private key cryptography or DES (digital encryption standard). Currently, the best encryption technology is Triple DES, a 128-bit encryption key. IBM said its encryption technology is more scientific than practical, but it will provide an invincible way to protect private computer information.

IP Multicast
Some 25 vendors have formed the IP Multicast Initiative to advance the implementation and use of IP Multicast technology across intranets and the Internet. During Networld+Interop, the group delivered a strong message to ISPs and enterprise network managers.

"Turn IP Multicast on, or you'll be left in the dust," said Martin Hall, co-chair of the initiative and CTO of Stardust Technologies Inc.

Initiative members demonstrated high-quality audio and video Internet broadcasts, capable of reaching television-scale audiences. With the show's InteropNet, the multicast video channel demonstration transmitted a program from eight video servers using IP Multicast software. The demo was seen on four large monitors above the application forum in the convention center lobby and in the booths of the IP Multicast Initiative members. You can find the IP Multicast Initiative on the Web at .

Several vendors also made announcements about IP Multicast technology. Novell Inc. announced its support for IP Multicast in NetWare and IntranetWare. Lucent Technologies announced its new e-cast Reliable Multicast software that ensures the reliable delivery of a multicast session to each group member requesting one. 3Com and TIBCO Inc. announced a technology alliance to improve the performance of push technology in intranets.

First Generation Gigabit Ethernet
Gigabit Ethernet announcements swarmed the floor -- from startup companies like Foundry Networks Inc., Prominet Corp. and Extreme Networks Inc., to veteran companies known in the industry, including 3Com, Cabletron, Adaptec and Hewlett-Packard. They promised that gigabit Ethernet will alleviate congested LANs without making administrators completely revamp their networks.

Gigabit products promise speeds higher than fast Ethernet or asynchronous transfer mode technology. They also provide wire speed routing faster than current high-end routers. Because bandwidth traffic is growing, companies are working to reduce the number of protocols on the network. With this, the gigabit routing switch is expected to penetrate corporate networks over the next year.