Microsoft Corp.'s Proxy Server 2.0 brings a number of advantages to organizations of all sizes. Active HTTP caching and array caching help reduce the network load for large organizations that experience considerable HTTP activity, while tight integration with Windows NT gives smaller ones dial-on-demand Web surfing and dynamic IP address assignment with RAS (Remote Access Server).

Caching comes in two basic flavors. One, hierarchical caching, is offered by Netscape Communications Corp.'s Proxy Server. With hierarchical caching, each server caches Web pages individually. When a request for a page comes into a proxy server, the request is passed to other servers in the chain. If the page isn't cached elsewhere, the request is forwarded to the destination site. Microsoft Proxy Server, on the other hand, savors the second flavor, array caching, which lets a cluster of proxy servers act as a single entity.

For security, Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0 provides dynamic packet filtering. This means all TCP ports are closed by default and opened only when the firewall accepts an active connection. Once the TCP connection is closed, the associated ports are shut as well. This reduces network attacks such as port scanning above Port 1,023.

Microsoft Proxy Server 2.0, $995,
Microsoft Corp.,
(800) 426-9400, (425) 882-8080.
www.microsoft.com