Network Computing | 1519 Table of Contents

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Asset Management Grows Up | Get a Grip
By Don MacVittie
Asset management systems have grown up, offering better auto-discovery and advanced software tracking. Now's the time to seize the initiative and garner a fistful of savings!

Review: Asset Management Systems | Finders Keepers
By Don MacVittie
We tested six asset management systems to see which one managed both hardware and software resources most effectively. Our Editor's pick won for its superior auto-discovery and great price.

Review: Console Servers | Large Serving of Serial
By Curtis Franklin Jr.
Console servers offer smooth device-switching, authentication and encryption with easy access to remote locations. Find out which of the three we tested won our Editor's Choice for its mix of features, ease of use and great price.

Review: Network Monitoring Systems | More Ping, Less Bling
By Bruce Boardman
We tested nine monitoring systems that cost less than a grand. Our top pick lit up our world with its Layer 2 mapping and advanced toolset.

Workshops

Building a Fibre Channel SAN | FC on a Budget
By Joe Hernick
If your small organization needs a storage area network, consider Fibre Channel.

Buyer's Guide: Wireless-Enabled PDAs and Smart Phones | Converged, Smarter Devices
By Dave Molta
When prepping your network for wireless-enabled PDAs, it's important to develop constructive policies that provide a reasonable amount of user choice within a manageable environment capable of supporting enterprise apps.
View our Interactive Buyer's Guide

Sneak Previews

Microsoft's Virtual Server 2005 | Scaling IN
By Sean Doherty
Using virtual machine technology, Microsoft's VS cost-effectively distributes applications and their resource loads across multiple VMs running on a single host.

Sun Microsystems' Fire V40z | Blazing Servers
By Christopher T. Beers
This speedy machine runs 32- and 64-bit operating systems using AMD chips.

PalmOne's Wi-Fi Card | Small Price, Small Rewards
By Richard Hoffman
It's easy to use and has a great price. So why is this card not ready for the enterprise?

AquaFold's Aqua Data Studio 3.7
By Cory Cundy
This database administration product solves some of the challenges of supporting multiple database environments.

Departments

Last Mile
Edited By Bradley F. Shimmin and Tim Wilson
This edition: Top 11 least enticing locations for a Wi-Fi hotspot; the best network admin excuse ever; and the power of hamster.

Quick Takes
By NWC Editors
This edition looks at Sowsoft's Network Password Manager 1.0, Open Text's FirstClass 8.0, Teros' Fireline and Cendura's Cohesion 3.0.

Letters
By NWC Readers
One reader charges, "I can't believe NWC picked the Tribune as a shining example of management. I'd sooner flip burgers than work for that outfit."

Columns

Down to Business: Too Late for Fiber? | Optical Illusions
By Rob Preston
FTTH stands to increase end-to-end reliability and troubleshooting capabilities enormously. But has the ship already sailed for fiber optics?

Reality IT: Lessons in Vendor Hype | "Hot" Technologies Can Burn You
By Hunter Metatek
Proper product selection is just part of the equation. Learning to see through "vendor talk" is also crucial.

Air Time: The Thin AP "Weight Debate" | Smarter Is Better
By Dave Molta
The need for multiband functionality and other strategic services requires more, not less, intelligence at the edge.

New Cisco Routers Carry Hidden Baggage | Routers Need Preheating
By Lee Badman
To get the full functionality of the new 1800, 2800 and 3800 series routers, users must embrace a raft of other Cisco networking technologies.

BuzzCut: Web Services Management, Security Converge | XML Vendor Pact Could Trigger Consolidation
By Lori MacVittie
Digital Evolution's purchase of Flamenco Networks will combine the assets of two emerging Web services management and security companies. Signs are that the merger could be the first of many that will integrate these XML management technologies.

BuzzCut: Online Attackers Take the Easy Route | Report: Criminals Usually on the Inside
By John R. Vacca
A study of financial institutions by CERT and the Secret Service proves that most attacks on financial services systems are simple and pre-planned. Here are a few tips on stopping them.

BuzzCut: Wi-Fi: Resisting Users' Independence | Controlling the Airspace
By Frank Bulk
The FCC recently ruled that the University of Texas at Dallas cannot restrict the Wi-Fi activity of students living off campus. But enterprises should create policies to limit rogue Wi-Fi networks, which can create performance and security problems.

FUDBusters: J.P. Morgan Chase Backs Out of IBM Deal | Banking Firm Ends Seven-Year Deal
By Tim Wilson
Citing its recent merger with Bank One, J.P. Morgan Chase is now insourcing its IT function. The move is a blow for IBM, which had touted the banking company as a pioneer of its utility computing vision.

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