Working Smarter, Part Three: A quick review of the OSI model will prepare you to consider the best tools out there to manage your network.

Extreme is touting the BlackDiamond 8900 solution as an end-of-row aggregation component that will spare data centers the hassle of "forklift upgrades."

NetEx tunes its HyperIP WAN optimization appliances to bypass application protocols and mitigate the problems posed by packet loss and latency.

Working Smarter, Part Two: Understanding where existing network management architectures originated helps you get a handle on the diversity of choices you'll face when you choose your tools.

WAN optimization can work wonders for spread out enterprise networks, reducing latency, relieving congestion and speeding up bandwidth-hungry Web apps. Learn how this technology works.

Products supporting the "new" spec have been around since 2007. Who's going to notice when the standard is ratified?

Balancing ease of implementation, support and functionality is key to choosing which Web services protocols will work best in your SOA deployment.

If you're snarled up in iSCSI management, the Internet Storage Name Service (iSNS) protocol is here to save you.

Industry group hopes to make DNSSEC "non-controversial [and] worthy of investment."

This seasoned developer of utilities for IP networks offers management tools–and VoIP-specific modules–for networks of all sizes.

The IEEE 802.11n standard gives users a choice between 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz spectrum, but how do you know which one is best for your network needs?

Windows DNS gives us the ability to create a secure name resolution environment with dynamic updates, but configuring it isn't always simple.

The two companies say a trial involving 73 kilometers of fiber show 100G networking technology provides twice the tolerance for signal distortion over standard 10G.

Ready for VoIP: Big Blue offers VoIP monitoring/management tools for medium-size enterprises, carriers, and everyone in between.

This company's VoIP-related management tools provide traffic simulation and stress testing and measure QoS.