Review: Aruba Virtual Branch Network (VBN) RAPs

Highly-distributed businesses have long faced a choice of evils: ship skilled staff out to install pricey enterprise APs or let small branch and home office workers install their own consumer plug-n-play APs. For organizations with hundreds of storefronts or thousands of teleworkers, the former is prohibitively expensive. But for secure multimedia WLANs, the latter is unthinkable.

According to Aruba Networks, Virtual Branch Networks (VBNs) are a more palatable solution. Interop LV09 judges were impressed, awarding Best of Show in the Wireless/Mobile category to VBN. During our own test drive, we found VBN extremely promising—but we spotted a few rough edges that could use bit more honing.

Virtualizing remote WLANs

Aruba's VBN is an architecture that enables centralized control over a large number of small remote office WLANs, up to 100 clients apiece. In the VBN architecture, every Remote Access Point (RAP) operates as a remotely-managed VPN gateway, enforcing role-based access policies and tunneling only permitted traffic back to the corporate network.

Sure, branch office VPNs can be built using many enterprise wireless routers. What differentiates Aruba's VBNis entry-level gear with "zero-touch" provisioning. Aruba can drop-ship factory-default $99 RAPs to hundreds of destinations on your behalf. On first power-up, each RAP tunnels over the Internet to a user-designated Aruba controller. When the controller hears from a whitelisted RAP, it installs and activates IT-defined firmware and policies over a secure boot-strap tunnel. The end result: a business-grade WLAN, provisioned in less than ten minutes, with almost no end-user or IT assistance.

Eliminating advance or on-site IT provisioning from an otherwise lengthy, error-prone process speeds new site activation and reduces per-site investment. And, because RAPs are managed over that tunnel throughout their life, IT can remotely assert relatively sophisticated, dynamic role-based access controls. While RAPs are ultimately constrained by inexpensive hardware, the policies they can enforce are far from consumer-grade.

Putting VBN into action

This architecture can be implemented using any combination of the following new VBN RAPs.

• The RAP-2WG is a fist-sized single-radio 802.11b/g AP with two 10/100 Ethernet ports, targeted for use by "fixed telecommuters" and home offices with up to five users. (Pictured above.)

• The RAP-5WN is a desktop/wall-mount dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n AP with five 10/100 Ethernet ports, slated for small branch offices with up to 256 users. (Picture below.)

• The RAP-5 is a wired-only RAP-5WN, to incorporate small branches that require authenticated, secure Ethernet, but not wireless VBN access.

Older (non-VBN) Aruba RAPs can be added to the same network manually—for example, the dual-radio AP-125 for a branch requiring simultaneous dual-band operation. However, the zero-touch feature that appealed to us is only available in new VBN RAPs. To road-test VBN, we therefore installed an RAP-2WG and an RAP-5WN in over a dozen home and small office networks.

Review: Aruba Virtual Branch Network (VBN) RAPs

Highly-distributed businesses have long faced a choice of evils: ship skilled staff out to install pricey enterprise APs or let small branch and home office workers install their own consumer plug-n-play APs. For organizations with hundreds of storefronts or thousands of teleworkers, the former is prohibitively expensive. But for secure multimedia WLANs, the latter is unthinkable.

According to Aruba Networks, Virtual Branch Networks (VBNs) are a more palatable solution. Interop LV09 judges were impressed, awarding Best of Show in the Wireless/Mobile category to VBN. During our own test drive, we found VBN extremely promising—but we spotted a few rough edges that could use bit more honing.

Virtualizing remote WLANs

Aruba's VBN is an architecture that enables centralized control over a large number of small remote office WLANs, up to 100 clients apiece. In the VBN architecture, every Remote Access Point (RAP) operates as a remotely-managed VPN gateway, enforcing role-based access policies and tunneling only permitted traffic back to the corporate network.

Sure, branch office VPNs can be built using many enterprise wireless routers. What differentiates Aruba's VBNis entry-level gear with "zero-touch" provisioning. Aruba can drop-ship factory-default $99 RAPs to hundreds of destinations on your behalf. On first power-up, each RAP tunnels over the Internet to a user-designated Aruba controller. When the controller hears from a whitelisted RAP, it installs and activates IT-defined firmware and policies over a secure boot-strap tunnel. The end result: a business-grade WLAN, provisioned in less than ten minutes, with almost no end-user or IT assistance.

Eliminating advance or on-site IT provisioning from an otherwise lengthy, error-prone process speeds new site activation and reduces per-site investment. And, because RAPs are managed over that tunnel throughout their life, IT can remotely assert relatively sophisticated, dynamic role-based access controls. While RAPs are ultimately constrained by inexpensive hardware, the policies they can enforce are far from consumer-grade.

Putting VBN into action

This architecture can be implemented using any combination of the following new VBN RAPs.

• The RAP-2WG is a fist-sized single-radio 802.11b/g AP with two 10/100 Ethernet ports, targeted for use by "fixed telecommuters" and home offices with up to five users. (Pictured above.)

• The RAP-5WN is a desktop/wall-mount dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n AP with five 10/100 Ethernet ports, slated for small branch offices with up to 256 users. (Picture below.)

• The RAP-5 is a wired-only RAP-5WN, to incorporate small branches that require authenticated, secure Ethernet, but not wireless VBN access.

Older (non-VBN) Aruba RAPs can be added to the same network manually—for example, the dual-radio AP-125 for a branch requiring simultaneous dual-band operation. However, the zero-touch feature that appealed to us is only available in new VBN RAPs. To road-test VBN, we therefore installed an RAP-2WG and an RAP-5WN in over a dozen home and small office networks.

Review: Aruba Virtual Branch Network (VBN) RAPs

Highly-distributed businesses have long faced a choice of evils: ship skilled staff out to install pricey enterprise APs or let small branch and home office workers install their own consumer plug-n-play APs. For organizations with hundreds of storefronts or thousands of teleworkers, the former is prohibitively expensive. But for secure multimedia WLANs, the latter is unthinkable.

According to Aruba Networks, Virtual Branch Networks (VBNs) are a more palatable solution. Interop LV09 judges were impressed, awarding Best of Show in the Wireless/Mobile category to VBN. During our own test drive, we found VBN extremely promising—but we spotted a few rough edges that could use bit more honing.

Virtualizing remote WLANs

Aruba's VBN is an architecture that enables centralized control over a large number of small remote office WLANs, up to 100 clients apiece. In the VBN architecture, every Remote Access Point (RAP) operates as a remotely-managed VPN gateway, enforcing role-based access policies and tunneling only permitted traffic back to the corporate network.

Sure, branch office VPNs can be built using many enterprise wireless routers. What differentiates Aruba's VBNis entry-level gear with "zero-touch" provisioning. Aruba can drop-ship factory-default $99 RAPs to hundreds of destinations on your behalf. On first power-up, each RAP tunnels over the Internet to a user-designated Aruba controller. When the controller hears from a whitelisted RAP, it installs and activates IT-defined firmware and policies over a secure boot-strap tunnel. The end result: a business-grade WLAN, provisioned in less than ten minutes, with almost no end-user or IT assistance.

Eliminating advance or on-site IT provisioning from an otherwise lengthy, error-prone process speeds new site activation and reduces per-site investment. And, because RAPs are managed over that tunnel throughout their life, IT can remotely assert relatively sophisticated, dynamic role-based access controls. While RAPs are ultimately constrained by inexpensive hardware, the policies they can enforce are far from consumer-grade.

Putting VBN into action

This architecture can be implemented using any combination of the following new VBN RAPs.

• The RAP-2WG is a fist-sized single-radio 802.11b/g AP with two 10/100 Ethernet ports, targeted for use by "fixed telecommuters" and home offices with up to five users. (Pictured above.)

• The RAP-5WN is a desktop/wall-mount dual-band 802.11a/b/g/n AP with five 10/100 Ethernet ports, slated for small branch offices with up to 256 users. (Picture below.)

• The RAP-5 is a wired-only RAP-5WN, to incorporate small branches that require authenticated, secure Ethernet, but not wireless VBN access.

Older (non-VBN) Aruba RAPs can be added to the same network manually—for example, the dual-radio AP-125 for a branch requiring simultaneous dual-band operation. However, the zero-touch feature that appealed to us is only available in new VBN RAPs. To road-test VBN, we therefore installed an RAP-2WG and an RAP-5WN in over a dozen home and small office networks.

Malaysian surfers slowing down to facebook due to Moracot

Internet users in Malaysia may have trouble surfing websites hosted in the United States and Taiwan for the next couple of weeks due to damage to a submarine cable system.

Internet service provider TM said there would be slow connectivity after the Asia-Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2) submarine cable system was damaged by unknown causes.

The ISP has posted an alert on its website (www.tm.com.my) informing users of this, a company spokesman said.

The damage was first discovered in July. Internet connectivity was supposed to return to normal by Aug 16.

However, TM discovered two more faults which occurred on Aug 6 and Aug 12.

The last damage was detected near Taiwan but the cause has still not been ascertained.

“Our technicians are on the job and we are waiting for confirmation on what caused the damage to the APCN2 system,” said the spokesman, adding that a full recovery of Internet services will now be delayed.

The company was also unable to confirm whether the damage was caused by Typhoon Morakot, which swept over Taiwan and caused Internet users in Singapore to experience a slowdown.

The Straits Times reported that the typhoon, which caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years, damaged the APCN2 system and made it difficult for Internet users in the island republic to connect to websites hosted in the United States and Taiwan.

The last time users here experienced a major slowdown in Internet services was when the same cable was damaged by an earthquake in December 2006.

source: thestar

Malaysian surfers slowing down to facebook due to Moracot

Internet users in Malaysia may have trouble surfing websites hosted in the United States and Taiwan for the next couple of weeks due to damage to a submarine cable system.

Internet service provider TM said there would be slow connectivity after the Asia-Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2) submarine cable system was damaged by unknown causes.

The ISP has posted an alert on its website (www.tm.com.my) informing users of this, a company spokesman said.

The damage was first discovered in July. Internet connectivity was supposed to return to normal by Aug 16.

However, TM discovered two more faults which occurred on Aug 6 and Aug 12.

The last damage was detected near Taiwan but the cause has still not been ascertained.

“Our technicians are on the job and we are waiting for confirmation on what caused the damage to the APCN2 system,” said the spokesman, adding that a full recovery of Internet services will now be delayed.

The company was also unable to confirm whether the damage was caused by Typhoon Morakot, which swept over Taiwan and caused Internet users in Singapore to experience a slowdown.

The Straits Times reported that the typhoon, which caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years, damaged the APCN2 system and made it difficult for Internet users in the island republic to connect to websites hosted in the United States and Taiwan.

The last time users here experienced a major slowdown in Internet services was when the same cable was damaged by an earthquake in December 2006.

source: thestar

Malaysian surfers slowing down to facebook due to Moracot

Internet users in Malaysia may have trouble surfing websites hosted in the United States and Taiwan for the next couple of weeks due to damage to a submarine cable system.

Internet service provider TM said there would be slow connectivity after the Asia-Pacific Cable Network 2 (APCN2) submarine cable system was damaged by unknown causes.

The ISP has posted an alert on its website (www.tm.com.my) informing users of this, a company spokesman said.

The damage was first discovered in July. Internet connectivity was supposed to return to normal by Aug 16.

However, TM discovered two more faults which occurred on Aug 6 and Aug 12.

The last damage was detected near Taiwan but the cause has still not been ascertained.

“Our technicians are on the job and we are waiting for confirmation on what caused the damage to the APCN2 system,” said the spokesman, adding that a full recovery of Internet services will now be delayed.

The company was also unable to confirm whether the damage was caused by Typhoon Morakot, which swept over Taiwan and caused Internet users in Singapore to experience a slowdown.

The Straits Times reported that the typhoon, which caused the worst flooding in Taiwan in 50 years, damaged the APCN2 system and made it difficult for Internet users in the island republic to connect to websites hosted in the United States and Taiwan.

The last time users here experienced a major slowdown in Internet services was when the same cable was damaged by an earthquake in December 2006.

source: thestar

Chrome Evolution : From browser to Operating system

“Tomorrow never die”. Google is still breathing and become stronger. Thats what people say, and I am quite agree with that. Recently Google has given a sign that they will come out soon with their new Android Operating System, which focusing on the Netbook product.

Google’s goal is to be the opposite of today’s operating systems — especially Windows, which commands 90% of the market. The ubiquitous software has a reputation as virus-prone and complicated. Google says its Google Chrome Operating System will be faster, smoother and lightweight.

An outgrowth of Google’s Chrome Internet browser, the OS is designed “to start up and get you onto the Web in a few seconds,” Google said in its official blog post announcing the product. Google says it can achieve that by building a system from the ground up, one that isn’t constrained by working with a legacy system initially built in the 1980s. Now, all it must to do is execute.

Unlike Windows, Chrome is an open-source project like the Linux operating system that’s popular with techies, which means outside software developers are welcome to work on it. And Google believes developers who have a stake in the project will find a way to bring Chrome to a wide variety of PCs quickly, says a person with direct knowledge of Google’s intentions, who isn’t authorized to speak on behalf of the company.

And the most interesting part is that the price will be free, comparing to Micrsoft which PC companies need to pay US45 for each license.

In a nutshell, We do hope that Google can be part of the open source team-partner and will explore more widely on the enhanced web browsing industry since the other partner, Linux, has shown their glory in the hacking world.