* Welcome to the afternoon edition of Network World Daily News.
Face-off: Should you trust your network to open source?
Reviews
Apple’s new Xserve speeds past its predecessor
Our Clear Choice Test of Apple’s Xserve found it performed much faster than the older Xserve G4 model we previously tested.
VoIP enhancements make softphones a real possibility
With VoIP networks making headway in terms of performance and reliability, the idea of a softphone replacing the desk phone is more plausible now than when we first tested these wares five years ago.
SIP-based softphones make the grade
Since we first tested softphones in 2002, they have improved to tap into wider broadband pipes, faster CPUs and more capable versions of Windows. They’re less expensive, too.
Testing the waters of open source softphones
In our test of two Session Initiation Protocol-based freeware softphone options — PortSIP and Phoner — we required them to register and place calls via both freeware Asterisk 1.2 and Zultys MX 250 Enterprise Media Exchange IP PBXs.
From the blogs and forums
Paul McNamara wonders if it’s OK to out an anonymous blogger and concludes yes it is. We keep hearing from people who telecommute in the buff. One user says there are technologies that could bring down the cost of RAID. Brad Reese looks at 10 things partners say about Cisco. One user thinks Avaya and Nortel weren’t very forward thinking when it came to IP-based phone systems. Keith Shaw considers a WiFi-enabled multimedia player from Archos. Mark Gibbs compiles a list of favorite virtual bumper stickers in people’s .sig files.
How to
Ron Nutter helps a user figure out how to lock down his servers.
ITVideo
Noise-canceling headphones
Keith Shaw and special-guest Jason Meserve show off a couple of noise-canceling headphones from Targus and Able Planet that may help make your next flight more enjoyable.
In depth
‘One of our laptops is missing’
These are words no IT manager ever wants to hear. Beyond the embarrassment, there is the danger of seriously bad publicity, damage to brand equity and legal liability. It is possible that losing even a single mobile computer loaded with sensitive information can kill an otherwise thriving business.
It’s not easy to sort through the maze of IT training options available today. Classroom training, interactive Webcasts, online tutorials, customized multimedia courseware — there is so much from which to choose.
More news
GoDaddy hit with denial-of-service attack
Domain registrar and hosting company GoDaddy.com Inc. was hit with “significant and sustained” distributed denial-of-service attacks Sunday, the company said.
Daylight-saving time: Change goes smoothly for most IT shops, though still most on lookout for glitches
Scott Metzger wasn’t taking any chances when it came to the earlier than usual daylight-saving shift that happened on Sunday, but even with extra staff on hand and system changes completed a week ago, he’s not resting easy until he sees how things play out over the next few days. A survey of a handful of IT managers on Sunday showed that most have feelings similar to Metzger’s. While changes generally went smoothly, IT executives say they are remaining vigilant over the next few days as they watch for issues related to the daylight-saving shift.
