NetFlash: Cisco takes a first step in revamping IOS distribution

Cisco takes a first step in revamping IOS distribution

Cisco is expected to announce what it calls a simplified software distribution model for its routers and switches, and a new software tool to help users more easily manage large-scale networks. Click here for details.

Sifting CES for clues to the future of mobile computing

Apple’s iPhone, unveiled 567 miles away at Macworld in San Francisco, combined with Cisco’s faster-than-a-speeding-bullet trademark lawsuit against Apple, threatened to relegate this week’s Consumer Electronics Show to a footnote. Nonetheless, what could be seen at CES was a new excitement about next-generation wireless LANs, the spread of multiple wireless technologies into portable devices and continued price declines. Click here for more.

Aruba tweaks WLAN gear for retail security standards

Wireless LAN vendor Aruba Networks this week said it will release a new version of its operating software geared for retail customers grappling with recently mandated security standards. The goal of both the Payment Card Industry data security standards and the new Aruba features is to protect wireless networks being used for online transactions. Click here for more.

HP advances fight to keep Moore’s Law healthy

HP researchers may have figured out a way to prolong Moore’s Law by making chips more powerful and less power-hungry. HP Labs on Tuesday said it created a method of using a “crossbar switch” that more efficiently routes signals inside a common kind of chip called an FPGA. The technology could lead to the creation of chips packed with far more transistors on board, leading to faster computing times. Click here for more.

Tech Update: Doing your NAC policy homework

If grade schools had technology that could stop students from coming to class unless their homework was complete, would they turn students away at the door if they hadn’t finished their assignments? Or give them a warning but let them come to class? And would the policy become stricter based on the type of homework? It’s an interesting analogy to automating security policy enforcement on enterprise networks. Click here for details.

Cell phone fire burns man

A combusting cell phone is being fingered as the cause for a California man receiving burns on half his body, according to fire department officials quoted by Associated Press. Click here for more.

Buzzblog: Fighting child pornography vs. ruining innocent lives

ABC News has a horrifying example of how societal concerns are leading to overzealous prosecutions. In this case, the innocents are a teenager and his parents. Odd twist: While escaping worst charges, the boy was forced to plead guilty to showing other kids his copy of a men’s magazine? Click here for more.

Today on Layer 8 where you never lose:

If you have ever played slot machines you know they seemingly tantalize you into playing more and more. You know, you get two cherries and the third one, the one that would break the bank, stops one notch short of the score. It’s just one way that computerized slot machines are not always what they seem, says an article in the Philadelphia Inquirer. At your home for not-just-networking news.

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