Virtual ISP Technology: 5 Signs That Signal It’s Time to Partner with a Wholesale ISP Provider

There’s really nothing like being in control - especially when you’re in business for yourself. But for facilities-based ISP owners that dream can slip away as the daily grind of technical challenges, rising operating costs, contract minimums, and customer support woes takes its toll.

We hear about this pain daily from prospective ISPs that have not yet leveraged a partnership with a quality Wholesale ISP. However, after a well-executed import of subscriber data, ISPs make more money while working fewer hours. Fixed costs are eliminated. Lost sleep and demanding technical challenges become a thing of the past.

The Difference Between Do-It-Yourself and a Wholesale ISP Partnership

Many ISP owners got into the facilities-based ISP business model during the mid-1990s before virtual ISP technology and server-based ISP software became a reliable solution. A facilities-based ISP owns its mail, DNS, and authentication servers, switches, circuits, and other infrastructure. As demand grew, the ISP owner had to purchase new circuits to keep up. This was a double-edged sword because as demand for dial-up declined, many ISPs have been stuck with termination liabilities on circuits they were no longer using.

A wholesale ISP or virtual ISP provider aggregates the volume of hundreds ISPs. Each ISP offers Internet Services under their own company name and sets their own prices, support policies, and manages their own branding. It makes sense to partner with a company, such as visp.net (http://www.visp.net), that is highly specialized in providing back-office software and services for ISPs.

For the facilities-based ISP owner, moving their back-office services to a wholesale ISP means that they can now pay for services on a per-subscriber basis with margin on each account. They’ve effectively eliminated fixed costs and replaced them with variable costs that provide a more sustainable business model in the highly dynamic Internet access market.

The shift to a wholesale ISP can be a significant upgrade of services because you are leveraging the multimillion-dollar R & D investment of your ISP wholesaler. The result: greater subscriber retention, and a service that’s more attractive to prospective customers.

Knowing When It’s Time to Change

While working with hundreds of ISPs over the past decade who have reached this crossroad, I’ve identified a few “Red Flags” that signal it’s time to partner with an ISP wholesaler.

Here Are My Top 5 Signs:

1. Unused circuits are sucking your profit margin dry. It’s the Catch-22 of the facilities-based ISP world. You’ve got just the right amount of subscribers and circuits. You’re finally in the black and begin to show a profit. Life is good. But just when you start making money, along comes that one additional subscriber and you either send the subscriber to the competition or sign a contract for yet another expensive circuit. On the other hand, you might have latent capacity on existing dialup or DSL circuits. Either way, profit goes out the window. By partnering with a wholesale ISP, owners pay only for services that they need and use. Nothing more.

2. If you only have one qualified system administrator your head is in the sand. The disastrous possibilities are real. We’ve worked with ISPs who’ve lost their administrators to death, accidents and…even Microsoft. You might not want to think about it, but it’s a cold, hard reality. A qualified ISP wholesaler has the resources to maintain redundant administration. Unexpected catastrophes are met with a team of professionals while you enjoy your vacation or rest peacefully in your bed.

3. Billing and administrative stresses make you want to pull your hair out. New ISP services require new management interfaces. Just when you get adjusted to one, subscribers start hammering on you about some new service. It can become overwhelming. A good wholesale ISP vendor offers a highly integrated solution that reduces stress. ISP in-a-box ® management software from visp.net, for example, provides ISPs and their staff with a consistent interface for administration, billing, and management of all common ISP services, plus an interface that allows subscribers to easily manage their own services without bothering you.

4. If a mission-critical server blew up today you’d be in a world of hurt. You’ve heard stories of ISPs who’ve had a server go down, and lost droves of customers. Often, these ISPs never recover. In this business, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. However, designing and maintaining your own highly reliable systems is very expensive and requires significant administrative skill. By moving to a wholesale ISP, such as visp.net, ISPs leverage existing engineering expertise and layers of redundant architecture. Every mission-critical server is RAIDed and mirrored to an identical RAID backup system. Typical uptime exceeds the carrier-class gold standard of five nines or 99.999%. That’s one less thing to keep you up at night.

5. There’s no future in simply maintaining or even losing subscribers. Growing your ISP isn’t as easy as it used to be. Competition is everywhere. You’ve got to be better, and potential customers need to know about you. As a local ISP you have significant advantage over national competitors, but when you’re busy managing everything else, when do you have time to grow your subscriber base? By partnering with a wholesale ISP, you can provide your subscribers with the quality of service offered by national competitors, such as 24-hour support. When you hand-off 24/7 administrative chores, you free up time to perform a much more critical function - growing your ISP.

In the end, the choice to leverage wholesale ISP software and technology is a business decision. As the ISP business has become increasingly dynamic, shrinking profit margins require ISPs to eliminate fixed costs. There’s no more powerful way to cut your overhead and improve your quality of life than by partnering with an experienced wholesale ISP provider.

About the Author

http://www.businesseducationsite.com/articlems/internet-service-provider/virtual-isp-technology-5-signs-that-signal-its-time-to-partner-with-a-wholesale-isp-provider.html

Broadband Internet: What You Need To Know

Broadband Internet involves using a high speed modem. This allows you to access information on the internet very quickly, so it is commonly referred to as high speed Internet. Broadband Internet can be in the form of DSL, cable, or satellite. As the popularity of the internet exploded in the early 2000’s, Broadband Internet emerged, offering computer users something better. It was quite expensive at first but has become more affordable. Today it is featured around the world.

If you are still using dial up Internet connections then you may be wondering what all the hype is about. After all, it does get you connected to the internet as well! Most people switch their home Internet service to Broadband after experiencing the difference between the two while accessing the internet on their office computer. You can go to a public library as well to try a computer with Broadband Internet for a couple of hours, and then decide which one you would rather have.

DSL is the most common type of Broadband Internet connection. DSL stands for Digital Subscriber Line. It allows high volumes of data to be transmitted quickly. Some rural areas have cable that offers Broadband connections. One downside of it is that all the customers share a certain amount of bandwidth so you can find your Broadband Internet functioning slowly at times. Cable companies try to avoid this by adding additional connections as the number of customer’s increases. A satellite Broadband connection works the same way.

Broadband Internet has become very popular because it offers so many advantages over dial up Internet access. It is up to 10 times faster. This means you can access information on the Internet almost the instant you click on it. Since it doesn’t operate on your phone line, you can still take phone calls while being connected to the internet. This also means you won’t get disconnected in the middle of something or not be able to get online during peak hours.

Many people choose to watch movies and videos on the internet. Having Broadband Internet allows you to download them or view them quickly as it doesn’t take long to buffer them. Listening and downloading music is another popular feature of the internet that works well with Broadband Internet service.

Broadband Internet can be purchased from a variety of providers. It is becoming a popular feature of Internet service providers as well as cable providers. This is a great opportunity for you to get a package deal on cable services and Broadband Internet. You will save money over having them at two separate providers. Broadband Internet costs more than dial up internet service, but it is well worth the speed you get for accessing the internet.

All three Broadband Internet connections work very well. You should make your choice after comparing what is available in your area. Next compare the prices and the installation charges. Many Broadband providers run periodic promotions where they will do the installation for free. This is a great way to save money. You should also ask your friends and family what Broadband Internet provider they use and their experiences. You want a Broadband Internet provider that offers great prices and excellent customer support.

The newest wave of communication is the Voice Over Internet Protocol, known as VOIP, it allows you to speak to people all over the world with unbelievable clarity. It is used by businesses because it offers a great solution for conference calls. The charges are often billed as a local call rather than long distance. For anyone who makes a great deal of long distance calls for leisure or business, this is the perfect phone solution. However, VOIP requires a Broadband Internet connection to function.

All in all, broadband internet connections are becoming more and more common, and improving more and more peoples' internet experiences!

About the Author

Adrian Adams, Visit UK Broadband Provider for UK Broadband Guide and Cheap Broadband Offers

How To Choose The Right Residential Broadband Service

The first thing you need to know is what is Broadband access? Broadband is defined as any data transmission that exceeds 600 bits per second. There are also residential and commercial versions of broadband and they are very different from each other. This is in terms of price, size and ability and, for the purposes of this article, we will be focusing on residential. For business, even a small business, they are much further ahead with a T1 line, but that is a different story.

There are three primary versions of Broadband Internet access available to the typical residential subscriber. The three kinds of broadband are DSL, cable and satellite. Each has its pluses and minuses and you should be familiar with them because these differences will help you decide which service is best for you and your individual needs.

DSL Digital Subscriber Service

Local and national phone companies offering broadband access offer this service. It accomplished the required data transfer rates by using two separate channels. One channel is used for data and one is used for voice communications. This allows them to push more information through the same size pipe.

The first advantage that most people like is that their phone calls do not interrupt their Internet usage or the other way around also works. You can achieve the higher speeds (128Kbs to 24,000Kbs) that you need to take advantage of most of the offerings on the Internet. The costs are also low, which for some is an advantage. For the best speeds with DSL you need to be within 2Km(1.25 miles) of a central office, beyond that and your speed drops dramatically. DSL is offering by most phone companies (although it is normally the most expensive option) as well as both local and national carriers.

Cable

This is exactly what it is, a coaxial cable of the same variety you use for receiving your cable TV signal. Your local cable company provides this service. Speeds are generally 1.5MB, 3MB and even 5MB in some markets. Your area has to have access to cable service in order for you to be able to have cable Internet service.

This is known as an always on service in that you are always connected and that is a two edged sword. You have instant access to everything that you want and it is a bad thing because the bad guys also have instant access to your system. It is highly recommended that you use a firewall and anti-virus software to protect your system from those that are up to no good.

Satellite

This service is available through companies like DirecTV, Dish Network and Hughes. They provide access to the Internet through both a phone line and a satellite dish. The upload is achieved using a phone line and the download side is through the satellite dish. This will mean longer time to upload files and faster times downloading files.

The advantage to this is that you only need access to a phone line and a satellite subscriber service. This frees you in having service anywhere there is a phone line installed. The disadvantage to this is that, during high wind events or severe storms, you may lose your satellite service and, thus, your Internet access. Also note that many satellite providers will LIMIT how much you can use the system over the month, and when you reach that limit, they will "throttle" your connection down to a much slower speed.

Note that even the top-end satellite systems are not going to be as fast as the majority of DSL or cable options. Also note that some things are not available to you with satellite Internet service, such as the ability to use VOIP phones. VOIP will not work reliably on a satellite connection, simply because of what is called "latency", or the time it takes for the signal to get processed after it goes to the satellite and comes back to earth.

About the Author

Jon is a computer engineer and long-term world traveler who maintains many websites to pass along his knowledge and findings. You can read more about DSL and Cable Internet vendors and offerings at his web site at http://www.dsl-cable-inside-info.com

Broadband: Just The Facts

What Is Broadband?

Traditional Internet is called dial-up, because it works through dialing the phone line to access the Internet. Broadband Internet access provides a higher speed of transmitting the data to the user. The line carrying the data can therefore carry more information to the user than dial-up.

The new and latest consumer broadband implementations of up to 30 Mbits per second are considerably faster and more economical than the ones that were available when the Internet first became popular such as the ISDN and 56 kbits per second. They are also different prices charged depending on the geographical locations, spread over different countries. The main reason for naming these fast connections as broadband Internet is because of the unusually high speeds of transmitting data, which in turn, is due to being able to send different amounts of data concurrently.

In general electronics and telecommunications, any signal or circuit that consists of or handles a broad range of frequencies is known as broadband. This is a term that is used relatively and is best understood in the context of wide frequencies.

Will I Be Able To Get Broadband?

The sad truth about todays broadband Internet technology is that not everyone has easy access to affordable broadband. People in rural areas must often resort to expensive satellite broadband if they are going to have broadband availability. The government feels that broadband should be available to all Americans, and several agencies are taking steps to ensure that this occurs in the near future.

What Kind Of Broadband Options Do I Have?

When it comes to broadband Internet, there are actually several different options you have to choose from, including: DSL, cable, and satellite, as being the most recommended. DSL, or digital subscriber line, uses a phone line to carry digital signals directly, without having to convert them over to an analog signal first. Through DSL, you can attain much higher data rates than with a regular modem, your connection will always be on which means that you will not have to dial-up every time you wish to use the Internet, and as well, because of the fact that the copper wire is split at the exchange, you can even use your home phone while you’re also using the Internet, which is an incredibly useful factor.

There are a number of different options available to users with a broadband connection, whereby they can connect according to varied needs. Some people may ask if it is possible to connect two PCs to a broadband connection or if its possible to have more than two computers connected to the same broadband connection. The answer in short, is yes.

Where Can I Get Broadband?

Getting broadband access can be the difference between surfing the Internet the old way and engaging in its remarkable content the new way. It will change the way you surf the web and change the way you engage yourself, making the Internet a whole new playground to embark on wonderful journeys on. Broadband access is generally available from most Internet companies for a fee that differs depending on the value of the service and the connectivity options. Be sure to consult your local provider for more information.

What Is Broadband Cable?

Traditionally, computers communicate using baseband transmissions, which mean transmissions that only send one signal per wire. When your computer talks to your printer, it is using a baseband transmission. The same goes for your computer and your monitor. Broadband transmission allows one wire to carry many signals at the same time. Cable TV uses broadband technology and because of this, you can get your Internet access through the broadband cable without disrupting your viewing of cable channels.

What Does A Broadband Accelerator Do?

The primary purpose of a broadband accelerator is to sit between that of your broadband connection and your router, and most of these devices use DHCP, and consume an IP address which is generated by your router. Generally all you have to do here is leave it set to the auto-detect mode and let it run on its own without any sort of required assistance, and overall a broadband accelerator does have the same effect in reducing lag when playing over the Internet, until of course you begin to really saturate the network.

A broadband Internet service can change the way you look at your online capabilities. You can get faster download speeds and a more generous time of surfing thanks to the fast connections enabled with broadband Internet services. Some of the best service available online is available through a broadband Internet connection, so ensure that you remain on the cutting edge of technology today and grab hold of a broadband Internet service package before the deals run out.

About the Author

David McFarlane is a proud contributing author and writes articles on broadband. You can visit his site at http://www.broadband-assistance.com

How To Speed Up Your Dial up Connection

Do you remember the days? Firing up your 200Mhz turbo PowerPC, dialling up using your 56k modem, waiting an age for your hotmail page to show up, waiting some more to check your e-mails only to have your connection die just as you hit the send button! How times change.

It's funny, once you've used broadband you quickly forget how painful the dial up connection was. I used to run my business on dial up and looking back I managed rather well. But these days there's no way I could do without my broadband connection.

There's no doubt about it, broadband is well and truly here to stay. It is of course a logical progression - streaming audio and video demand much higher bandwidth and broadband connections are the only way to achieve anything which is at all usable.

A recent survey revealed that 53% of Americans who use the Internet now use a broadband connection. What they failed to point out is that obviously this means 47% still use a dial up connection. This actually equates to around 60 million people. These kind of statistics are mirrored in other developed countries. When you consider a large chunk of the developing world still uses dial up then you realize that's an awful lot of people still using a slow Internet connection.

So is it possible to speed up your dial up connection?

Well actually yes it is. There are quite a few services online these days allowing you to "accelerate" your dial up connection. These Internet accelerators claim to be able to boost the speed of your dial up connection by as much as six or seven times.

Before you scream with delight at this prospect I feel I should point out right now that these accelerator services are not high speed broadband Internet services. They use a different kind of technology based on the same idea as things like zip files and mp3 files. These files use a compression algorithm to dramatically reduce the file size.

Internet accelerators work in the same way and most providers have also implemented a caching technology whereby they store local copies of popular web sites. These local copies are pre compressed and can be sent to the user very quickly. The user has a piece of software sitting on their PC which decompresses the data as it comes in. This is how the dramatic speed increases are achieved.

Many people report excellent success with these systems. Some people are even comparing the accelerators with broadband services

So while this is a really good thing for basic web pages, the technology falls down as soon as you start working with large video or audio files etc. Since an mp3 file is already compressed there's not much more compression that can be done and so the Internet accelerator has little effect. Plus many services have a file size limit meaning they will not even attempt to compress anything as big as a regular pop music mp3 file.

But if you're just loading up normal web pages without too much flash animation and all the other bells and whistles, then I highly recommend you get yourself an accelerated service. If your ISP doesn't offer it there are plenty that do so vote with your feet and check out some of these excellent services.

For more information simply search Google or Yahoo! for the term "dial up accelerator" or something like "speed up my dial up connection". You'll find lots of providers ready to supply you with service.

Some popular services in the USA are NetZero and Earthlink. In the UK you want to be taking a look at someone like Mistral or Onspeed.com

About the Author

Fabio writes for many niches and is an experienced researcher. He has written articles covering a wide range of subjects and enjoys plying his trade especially on the Internet. He is currently sponsoring Ambient Modem News and Blogs and can be reached on fabio@linkz-and.info

Broadband arrives with a bag of fortune cookies!

Broadband internet access has transformed the way we figured out the internet, from the perspective of dial up connections to high speed internet access, possible via the broadband connection.

Broadband internet, today not only stands on the threshold of being a global phenomenon; it is truly powered to revolutionarise the world of netizens from cumbersome dialups to smooth high speed broad band access.

The arena of broadband service providers is highly competitive and is constantly upgrading to a newer technology with the sole intention of providing their services to as many customer as possible. The market today offers a wide range of broadband packages along with value added services at either minimal rates or free, depending on one service provider to another.

While choosing a broadband provider, look for one that offers you, if not all, most of these additional services listed below:
• Free email addresses: You don’t need to share email addresses with family members, service providers often offer up to a few number of email addresses free.
• Anti-Spam protection: •Since spam is potentially damaging for your PC, spam mails are identified and barred from being delivered to your email addresses.

• Anti –Virus protection: Provide free anti-virus software’s, which help you guard your pc from probable virus attacks.

• VPN access: Virtual Private Networks, ensure safe flow of data and communication barring incidents of eves dropping and data sniffing with strong encryptions and firewalls. A private network in setup between two ends, which needs expensive routers to be installed. There are broadband providers who provide VPN access, though it is an expensive indulgence and not very popular amongst home users but corporate’s.

• Wireless access: Broadband service providers offer wireless broadband services, off course with different charges. Wireless access is a handy alternative to the wired access, bleak chances of breakdown and not restricted mobility for whenever you want to make a shift!
• Domain name and web space: Many broadband service providers propose web spaces up to a certain limit and domain names, depending on your requirement and inclination, you could choose.

• Static IP: Static IP provide a universal identification of your PC through an IP address that does not change whenever you log on. The advantage is that you are globally identifiable on the World Wide Web.

• Back up – data retrieval: while surfing if data relating to your web page or email is lost , it can be recovered by the service provider , since they facilitate to store all the data uniquely on their server computers

While you choose to make a shift to broadband or are venturing into the world of high speed net access, do not forget these lists of freebees and goodies that could easily be yours if you made the right choice, comparing broadband deals and different packages with different value added services. Not all offer the above listed but if you look around who knows, you might end up paying less for more!

About the Author

Kathy, Get cheap broadband deals & services from best UK broadband providers.

The Many Benefits Of High Speed Internet Access

Almost everyone nowadays has the Internet now, using dial-up, DSL, cable, or satellite. Many use it every single day without wondering the mechanics of it all. But what exactly is an Internet provider? An Internet provider is a company with an Internet account that provides persons and groups access to or a presence on the Internet. Generally there is a monthly fee involved, but there are also many that are free. What happens is your computer links to the Internet provider's computer, and that allows a person to access to the Internet.

Many Internet providers offer additional services on top of Internet access. Free e-mail accounts, spam filtering for e-mail, up to the minute news and weather, web space for creating your own website, anti-virus protection, online help and technical support are just some of the services afforded subscribers.

The majority of Internet providers offer Internet access through a local 0845 telephone number. By using a 0845 telephone number, it enables the users to gain access to the Internet without having a contract with a company or Internet service charge. Users have unlimited access by using their local rate Internet provider through the telephone line, also known as "pay as you go" Internet. The only bill that is incurred is telephone usage time. You don't have to pay anything if you don't use it at all.

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» Home » Computers-and-Technology » Computer virus » So What is an Internet Service Provider?
So What is an Internet Service Provider?
By By Author | On March 6, 2006 | In Computer virus | 50 Viewings | Rated
Almost everyone nowadays has the Internet now, using dial-up, DSL, cable, or satellite. Many use it every single day without wondering the mechanics of it all. But what exactly is an Internet provider?

Almost everyone nowadays has the Internet now, using dial-up, DSL, cable, or satellite. Many use it every single day without wondering the mechanics of it all. But what exactly is an Internet provider? An Internet provider is a company with an Internet account that provides persons and groups access to or a presence on the Internet. Generally there is a monthly fee involved, but there are also many that are free. What happens is your computer links to the Internet provider's computer, and that allows a person to access to the Internet.

Many Internet providers offer additional services on top of Internet access. Free e-mail accounts, spam filtering for e-mail, up to the minute news and weather, web space for creating your own website, anti-virus protection, online help and technical support are just some of the services afforded subscribers.

The majority of Internet providers offer Internet access through a local 0845 telephone number. By using a 0845 telephone number, it enables the users to gain access to the Internet without having a contract with a company or Internet service charge. Users have unlimited access by using their local rate Internet provider through the telephone line, also known as "pay as you go" Internet. The only bill that is incurred is telephone usage time. You don't have to pay anything if you don't use it at all.

There are many Internet providers out there. It is important to weigh the cost of the Internet provider with the extra services they offer in order to determine if it is worth the price. If you do not use the Internet that often, or you are unwilling to commit to a contract, perhaps a 0845 number Internet provider is right for you.

http://www.businesseducationsite.com/articlems/internet-service-provider/the-many-benefits-of-high-speed-internet-access.html

So What is an Internet Service Provider?

Almost everyone nowadays has the Internet now, using dial-up, DSL, cable, or satellite. Many use it every single day without wondering the mechanics of it all. But what exactly is an Internet provider? An Internet provider is a company with an Internet account that provides persons and groups access to or a presence on the Internet. Generally there is a monthly fee involved, but there are also many that are free. What happens is your computer links to the Internet provider's computer, and that allows a person to access to the Internet.

Many Internet providers offer additional services on top of Internet access. Free e-mail accounts, spam filtering for e-mail, up to the minute news and weather, web space for creating your own website, anti-virus protection, online help and technical support are just some of the services afforded subscribers.

The majority of Internet providers offer Internet access through a local 0845 telephone number. By using a 0845 telephone number, it enables the users to gain access to the Internet without having a contract with a company or Internet service charge. Users have unlimited access by using their local rate Internet provider through the telephone line, also known as "pay as you go" Internet. The only bill that is incurred is telephone usage time. You don't have to pay anything if you don't use it at all.


Our Partners: Free Stuff Free Article Distribution PSP Web Directory Latest News Article Query
» Home » Computers-and-Technology » Computer virus » So What is an Internet Service Provider?
So What is an Internet Service Provider?
By By Author | On March 6, 2006 | In Computer virus | 50 Viewings | Rated
Almost everyone nowadays has the Internet now, using dial-up, DSL, cable, or satellite. Many use it every single day without wondering the mechanics of it all. But what exactly is an Internet provider?

Almost everyone nowadays has the Internet now, using dial-up, DSL, cable, or satellite. Many use it every single day without wondering the mechanics of it all. But what exactly is an Internet provider? An Internet provider is a company with an Internet account that provides persons and groups access to or a presence on the Internet. Generally there is a monthly fee involved, but there are also many that are free. What happens is your computer links to the Internet provider's computer, and that allows a person to access to the Internet.

Many Internet providers offer additional services on top of Internet access. Free e-mail accounts, spam filtering for e-mail, up to the minute news and weather, web space for creating your own website, anti-virus protection, online help and technical support are just some of the services afforded subscribers.

The majority of Internet providers offer Internet access through a local 0845 telephone number. By using a 0845 telephone number, it enables the users to gain access to the Internet without having a contract with a company or Internet service charge. Users have unlimited access by using their local rate Internet provider through the telephone line, also known as "pay as you go" Internet. The only bill that is incurred is telephone usage time. You don't have to pay anything if you don't use it at all.

There are many Internet providers out there. It is important to weigh the cost of the Internet provider with the extra services they offer in order to determine if it is worth the price. If you do not use the Internet that often, or you are unwilling to commit to a contract, perhaps a 0845 number Internet provider is right for you.


http://www.articles-hub.com/Article/48643.html

EditGrid Raises Series a Round of Financing from WI Harper

Hong Kong (PRWEB) June 12, 2007 -- Team and Concepts Limited (TnC), makers of EditGrid, a leading provider of online collaborative spreadsheets, today announced the closing of a US$1.25M Series A financing with WI Harper acting as sole investor. In addition to a vast majority of the standard spreadsheet features, EditGrid provides online real-time group collaboration capabilities and easy integration with existing applications, combined with an easy-to-use interface and compatibility with a wide range of traditional spreadsheet formats.

EditGrid currently supports 500+ built-in functions (representing the vast majority of functions commonly used in Excel), and supports all major browsers including Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and Maxthon without the need to install any third-party software. In addition, its real-time collaboration functionality allows workgroups to efficiently edit spreadsheets simultaneously and have changes be reflected in real time across all collaborators' screens, while being able to support multiple levels of undo and sophisticated user permission controls. Furthermore, EditGrid supports remote data functionality, allowing users to retrieve live data on the web to be used in various designated cells and calculations. EditGrid supports a wide variety of spreadsheet formats, including Excel, CSV, Gnumeric, OpenOffice.org, Lotus 1-2-3, and others.

"We're extremely excited to have completed our first major round of financing, which is a significant milestone that will give us the resources to further our innovations and really drive user adoption. We believe that this will allow EditGrid to become the best online spreadsheet available," said David Lee, Chairman and Co-founder of TnC. "We're also extremely happy to have WI Harper as our investor and partner going forward. In addition, our list of partners has been growing almost on a weekly basis, and we're confident that this trend will continue."

"We've been extremely impressed at the EditGrid team, their technical capabilities and accomplishments, and the sheer potential of the Company," added David Zhang, Managing Director at WI Harper. "Particularly when looking at the rapid growth of the Software as a Service (SaaS) market, and the fact that EditGrid has the potential to revolutionize the way we look at spreadsheets, we are extremely enthusiastic about the future prospects of this investment in the EditGrid team."

http://www.prweb.com/releases/venturecapital/editgrid/prweb532377.htm

Surf the Web by Just Closing Your Eyes? - Cisco Contest Invites the Human Network to Help Shape the Future of the Connected Life

SAN JOSE, Calif. - June 14, 2007 - From streaming HDTV to a wrist watch, to a web search in your head -- the possibilities for tomorrow's network-based, communication and entertainment experiences are limitless. To demonstrate the power of the Human Network, Cisco® is inviting the public to help shape the future of the Connected Life by sharing their ideas. The company is offering $10,000 for the most innovative, entertaining and compelling entry.

"We believe in continuous innovation and are always working to bring great ideas to reality," said Jeff Spagnola, vice president of service provider marketing at Cisco. "We know that many of our customers, from the largest businesses to individual consumers, share our passion for innovation and we invite them to share their great ideas for experiences that they would like to enjoy in their Connected Life - enabled by Cisco and delivered by service providers around the world."
Make Your Mark on the Future of the Connected Life

The Connected Life describes the unique, personalized experiences enabled by networked communications, whether at home, at work, or on the move. Cisco believes that the network is the platform for making daily life more entertaining, more productive and more convenient. This competition is designed to encourage everyone to participate in the creation of the Connected Life of tomorrow.

Cisco builds the technology and solutions that enable people to enjoy new and richer experiences that enhance all aspects of their evolving connected lives:

* For the home, Cisco is working to bring more high-definition channels to the TV, connecting TV with the stereo and PC with services like email, gaming and web surfing, while turning the TV into a video phone.

* At work, Cisco is unifying communications across any device, freeing workers from their desks with greater mobility, and delivering TelePresence, which reduces the need for travel by enabling network-based face-to-face communications.

* On the move, Cisco is providing technology for streaming television on mobile devices, making payments for goods and services with a cell phone, and sharing business or entertainment content with friends and colleagues from anywhere at any time.

"While all these experiences are either available now or in the works, we are always interested in what you want to see in the future," added Spagnola. "There is no better way to get that information than to use the Human Network to ask, 'What new experiences do you want in your Connected Life?'"

Cisco will work with leading service providers around the world to select the top ideas, awarding one Grand Prize winner $10,000 and ten runner-up winners $1,000 each.
How to Enter

Contest participation is easy - just submit an entry (in 1,000 words or less) describing a new experience or capability you would like networking and communications technologies to help you do, whether at home, at work, or on the move. You're also invited to record a short video describing your idea, you can include a link to it with your entry.

Entrants can register and submit ideas at www.cisco.com/go/connectedlifecontest. Examples of Connected Life videos as well as complete official rules and prize information are also provided on the contest site.

http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2007/prod_061407b.html?CMP=AF17154&vs_f=News@Cisco:+News+Releases&vs_p=News@Cisco:+News+Releases&vs_k=1

Terabit Network Arrives in Hungary

First Hungarian Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) Implemented at Magyar Telekom with Cisco Technology\

BUDAPEST, Hungary, May 28, 2007 - Cisco® today announced that Magyar Telekom has upgraded its Internet Protocol (IP) backbone network as part of the telecommunications company's strategy to expand IP-based and broadband services in Hungary. The implementation of the Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System has led to a significant increase in network reliability and capacity. The deployment marks a turning point in the technological evolution of Magyar Telekom, the first service provider in Hungary to use routers with terabit capacity.

"Widespread use of broadband Internet is one of the primary strategic objectives of Magyar Telekom. This also coincides with the country's interest as a whole, in an effort to build an information society for the future," said Christopher Mattheisen, CEO of Magyar Telekom. "Magyar Telekom is now going beyond info-communications services and is strengthening its position in the audiovisual services market.

"We were the first to launch a number of innovative solutions in the market in the areas of fixed and mobile rich media and content services, such as enhancements to the community site iWiW, IPTV (T-Home TV), G3 mobile phones supporting video telephony and television programmes, and mobile Internet (web 'n' talk). Our T-Home TV product offers a revolutionary new digital experience in television broadcasting. We have always watched media closely. Now we take it one step further with television broadcasting over the Internet," continued Mattheisen.

The introduction of the Cisco IP Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture helps provide new opportunities to upgrade the telecommunications infrastructure. It will also be the foundation for innovative IP-based services tailored to the needs of individual subscribers, such as integrated media beyond video and IPTV, voice over IP, interactive games, and access to digital content such as photo libraries and films on demand.

"Hungary has taken the lead in the region in terms of broadband Internet, with more than 1 million broadband connections registered." stated Kaan Terzioglu, vice president, Central and Eastern Europe for Cisco. "The cooperation with Magyar Telekom and the resulting transformation to an IP Next-Generation Network is an example for the neighbouring countries of the region where similar investments may be realized."

By deploying the Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System, which is supported by Cisco's Advanced Services team, Magyar Telekom has proactively prepared its network for an increase in broadband demand, especially in view of last year's successful IPTV launch. In addition, business users have a growing need for virtual private network (VPN) services with higher availability. Supported by the enhanced features of the CRS-1, Magyar Telekom also offers a higher availability of service to its business customers.

For more information on the Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System go to: http://www.cisco.com/en/US/products/ps5763/index.html.

http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2007/prod_052807.html?CMP=AF17154&vs_f=News@Cisco:+News+Releases&vs_p=News@Cisco:+News+Releases&vs_k=1

Neuf Cegetel Extends Cisco IP NGN Infrastructure to Deliver Residential and Corporate IP Services with Cisco 7600 and CRS-1 Routers

PARIS, June 11, 2007 - Cisco® announced today that Neuf Cegetel, one of the leading alternative operators in France, has chosen the Cisco Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture to transform its network to deliver both residential and corporate IP services over the next three years. Neuf Cegetel has continued to grow its customer base and currently serves 4 million residential customers, out of which 2.3 million are broadband customers, and connects 148,000 business clients' sites.

Neuf Cegetel's residential network comprises approximately 200 points of presence (POPs) connected to around 1,200 central offices (COs) throughout France. Neuf Cegetel is already using Cisco IP NGN 10 Gigabit Ethernet technology in the broadband aggregation network to support the delivery of residential quadruple-play services, offering Internet access, telephony, more than 200 IPTV standard-definition and high-definition channels, video on demand, and mobility over ADSL services.

Neuf Cegetel is deploying Cisco 7600 Series Routers, including the new Cisco 7603 Router as the access and aggregation platform, at its POPS and COs to take advantage of the coverage of the residential network and significantly enhance its enterprise market coverage and service portfolio. Neuf Cegetel is also deploying Cisco's flagship CRS-1 Carrier Routing System to strengthen its core network with the benefits of a future-proof, reliable and scalable solution.

"We were looking for a single access solution that would fit into the French central offices to deliver both residential and corporate services," said Pierre-Alain Allemand, general manager of the network division at Neuf Cegetel. "Cisco worked closely with us and designed a new model of the 7600 Series Routers to meet our requirements, making it possible for us to smoothly transform the Neuf Cegetel network using a technology that we already fully understand. We also very quickly identified that the CRS-1 would be one of the best solutions on the market to fit with our exponential growth."

Thierry Drilhon, managing director of Cisco France and vice president of Cisco Europe, said: "Neuf Cegetel and Cisco have shared the vision of IP Next-Generation Networks as the ideal platform for delivering a high-quality experience in entertainment and communication to customers, whether they are at work, on the move or at home. We are focused on delivering what our customers need to help them stay at the forefront of innovation, and Neuf Cegetel is recognized as an innovation leader in Europe for both residential and corporate services."

Neuf Cegetel selected the Cisco CRS-1 Carrier Routing System with 10 Gigabit Ethernet interface modules to provide the transport across the IP/MPLS core network and the DSL aggregation layer. Ethernet VPN connectivity for large businesses and service provider customers is supported on an IP/MPLS-enabled core architecture based on the Cisco IOS® MPLS virtual private LAN service (VPLS) technology.
reyfus and SFR, reported revenues of 2,897 million euros in 2006.
www.groupeneufcegetel.fr


http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2007/prod_061107.html?CMP=AF17154&vs_f=News@Cisco:+News+Releases&vs_p=News@Cisco:+News+Releases&vs_k=1

Cisco Ships 900 CRS-1s in First Three Years to Drive Residential and Business IP Service Growth

CRS-1 in use by more than 85 providers as the basis of converged services including IPTV and TelePresence

SAN JOSE, Calif. - June 11, 2007 - Cisco® announced today that it has shipped 900 of the industry-leading Carrier Routing System (CRS-1), the core component of the Cisco Internet Protocol Next-Generation Network (IP NGN) architecture, to more than 85 providers since the first product shipment in August 2004. The CRS-1 offers providers a cost-effective means to meet the performance and reliability requirements of advanced service delivery while accommodating ever-increasing IP traffic.

The rapid growth of CRS-1 sales has been both accompanied and, to some degree, driven by significant IP traffic growth on global networks as video and other advanced service deployments continue. According to data compiled by Cisco and industry analysts, Internet video produced six times more IP traffic in 2006 than the amount of IP traffic that crossed the entire U.S. Internet backbone in 2000. By 2011, global IP traffic is projected to reach more than 26 exabytes per month (an exabyte is a unit of information or computer storage equal to one quintillion bytes).

BT and Sprint are among the leading global providers that have deployed the Cisco CRS-1 as the foundation of their IP transformation initiatives.

"The consolidation of BT's various service-specific networks onto a single IP infrastructure, combined with the growth of Internet traffic due to advanced services like IPTV and collaboration, makes having a reliable, highly-scalable, IP/MPLS core critical," said Matt Bross, Group CTO at BT Group. "Our aggressive 21CN service strategy, driven by the growing needs of our residential, business and industry customers, will increase traffic growth and we wanted to deploy a core routing system that would meet those needs now and in the future."

"We are deploying the Cisco CRS-1 to support our dramatic growth in MPLS services including our action to migrate customers from legacy non-IP-based technologies to our SprintLink IP and Global MPLS platforms," said Iyad Tarazi, vice president of network development for Sprint. "In addition to our wireline investments, we expect to see exponential growth in wireless data for 3G and Wi-Max services which also require significant investments in our IP core. The CRS-1 is well-suited to meet our needs, thus allowing us to support the long-term needs of our customers."

Other publicly announced CRS-1 customers include Cable & Wireless, Comcast, China Telecom (ChinaNet), China Education and Research Network (CERNET), Deutsche Telecom, Korea Telecom, FREE, the National Institute of Informatics' SuperSINET research network in Japan, Neuf Cegetel, National LambdaRail, MTS Allstream, MTN, Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center(PSC), SaskTel, Savvis, Softbank, Yahoo! BB, Swisscom, Shanghai Telecom, Strato Medien, Teliasonera, Terremark, Telstra and VTR.

The Cisco CRS-1 is the industry's most powerful carrier routing system, designed with the aim of offering continuous system operation as well as unprecedented service flexibility and scalability. Powered by Cisco IOS XR Software, it is designed for always-on operation while scaling system capacity up to 92 terabits-per-second (Tbps). The innovative system architecture combines the Cisco Silicon Packet Processor, the first programmable 40-Gbps ASIC, with the Cisco Service Separation Architecture for unprecedented service flexibility and speed to service. The CRS-1 marks a new era in carrier IP communications by powering the foundation for IP NGNs today while protecting investments for decades to come.

Cisco CRS-1 milestones:

• September 2006 - Four-slot CRS-1 joins the 16-slot platform 1.2 Tbps and the eight-slot platform (640 gigabits per second), all of which feature cross-slot-compatibility for continued investment protection.
• February 2006 - CRS-1 supporting 40Gbps OC-768c service is deployed in production network (Yahoo! BB, Japan)
• January 2006 - Shanghai Telecom becomes first provider to use multichassis CRS-1
• December 2005 - CRS-1 delivers industry-leading IP over dense wavelength-division multiplexing (IPoDWDM) optical integration
• July 2005 - CRS-1 sets Guinness world record with the world's highest-capacity Internet router
• December 2004 - Cisco announces availability of eight-slot CRS-1
• May 2004 - Cisco announces CRS-1 16-slot availability

"CRS-1 deployments continue to expand as providers accelerate their migrations towards IP Next Generation Networks to deliver advanced voice, video and data services," said Tony Bates, senior vice president and general manager of the service provider technology group at Cisco. "We are extremely pleased with the CRS-1's rate of adoption in the market, but possibly even more so with what it demonstrates - that the network is indeed the platform for changing how we live, work, play and learn."

For more information about the Cisco Carrier Routing System (CRS-1) please visit the Cisco Website at http://www.cisco.com/go/crs.

http://newsroom.cisco.com/dlls/2007/prod_061107b.html?CMP=AF17154&vs_f=News@Cisco:+News+Releases&vs_p=News@Cisco:+News+Releases&vs_k=1

ISP Giants Form New Lobbying Group

WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A., (14 Jan 2002, 4:54 PM CST) A clutch of the nation's largest Internet service providers (ISPs) today announced that they had joined forces to form a new lobbying group that will address the growing number of high-tech policy matters that directly concern ISP operators.

America Online, Verizon Online, WorldCom Inc., Earthlink and a handful of other ISP giants have signed on as founding members of the United States Internet Service Provider Association (US ISPA).

"This is an awfully focused organization," said Stewart Baker, an attorney for the Washington law firm Steptoe & Johnson, who is serving as the group's general counsel. "These are ISPs - large ones - who are really pooling their resources to address issues that effect ISPs specifically."

Although many of the founding companies are active members of other high-tech associations and lobbying groups, the US ISPA will be the first such group to address the specific needs of the nation's largest ISPs, Baker said.

The top legislative priority for the group will be to define parameters for how ISPs work with law enforcement agencies, particularly in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Baker said. Baker said that the ISPs want to make it clear to Congress "what they can do and what they can't do," in terms of assisting criminal investigations.

Other legislative issues on the group's plate will include the obligations of ISPs under international cybercrime rules and critical infrastructure protection as it relates to service providers.

Baker acknowledged that the founding members of the US ISPA include several companies that argue against one another in other areas of the high-tech policy debate, but he said that the companies also have plenty of common ground. "We'll be working on the things we have in common, and there are a lot of them," Baker said.

Verizon and WorldCom particularly have argued opposite sides in the debate over whether Bell companies (like Verizon) should be allowed to offer long-distance broadband Internet service without opening their local phone service markets to competition.

The US ISPA Web site is still under construction, but will eventually be online at http://www.usispa.org.

Internet Providers Form New Group To Address Security, Liability Issues
Dow Jones Newswires

WASHINGTON (January 14, 2002) Several Internet companies announced Monday the creation of a new group representing service providers and said it will focus on compliance and liability issues. The U.S. Internet Service Provider Association will replace the Commercial Internet eXchange, which is disbanding.

According to US ISPA, the change came about because "as the ISP community has matured so have its needs for an organization that could represent the growing legal and policy issues common to service providers."

Founding members of US ISPA's board include representatives from AOL Time Warner Inc.'s America Online, Cable & Wireless PLC, Earthlink Inc., eBay Inc., Teleglobe, Verizon Online and WorldCom Inc.

"We are very excited about the new focus and membership of US ISPA," said Clint Smith, president of the association and vice president and chief network counsel of WorldCom.

The group's vice president, Tom Dailey, said: "The US ISPA will serve as an effective voice for the ISP community on a wide variety of compliance and liability issues of common interest to ISPs."

He said some issues the group will examine include Internet security, online liability and compliance with the new antiterrorism law, the USA-Patriot Act and the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime.

The group said it will also provide a forum for critical infrastructure and cyber-security issues, and looks forward to working closely with the federal government on efforts launched since Sept. 11.

The group said it will also advance "a variety of other policy and legal issues of concern to ISPs, such as Internet privacy, content regulations and intellectual property."

The group's press release did not specifically mention open access, a hot issue in the past. Open access refers to a policy that forces a cable operator providing Internet service using affiliated ISP to sell unaffiliated ISPs access to the cable pipeline.

http://www.cix.org/articles.html

Wireless Internet Service Providers

Wireless Internet service providers offer their customers wireless Internet - that is, web access which requires no physical connections to a modem. All of the required technology for going online is cable-free. There are no land based cables to connect from the computer to the modem. A signal is placed in the computer, and the customer is provided with a wireless modem to pick up the signal. A cable-free connection should be fast and quick to install. Consumers may be considering getting cable-free web services. They can find plenty of companies offering these services both locally and online. Nearly every major web provider offers both a traditional cable web connection and a cable-free connection. Thus, it may be difficult to choose the best wireless Internet service provider. In order to make the decision, consumers will need to look at the price, customer service and the quality of the services of each company.

The great thing about no cables is the convenience. The best wireless Internet service will share all of the benefits people should take advantage of as cable-free customers. The most common benefit is the mobility. Those who travel a great deal can find it very convenient to have. As long as customers can find a cable-free hot spot, they can use the connection. This is convenient for students on the go and traveling business men. In many coffee shops or Internet cafes today, there are routers that allow customers to bring in laptops and surf the web while drinking lattes and cappuccinos. This makes it very much worth any extra cost. Plus, customers with several home computers will get one router that can accommodate all of them, making it easy for multiple computers to log online at once. In addition, using no cables is fast. The best wireless Internet service connects at rates up to 1Mbps or more. This allows for quicker webpage loading and downloading. Customers may find this necessary if job or school work requires a lot of web research as well as downloading of images.

Price is very important to every customer. Of all of the ways to connect online, the cheapest is typically dial-up. Now, even those who offer dial-up services are also wireless Internet service providers. This can help save some money if customers are hoping to keep the services within their budget. Price isn't everything, though. Consumers also need to consider the level of quality of their services and the quality of their customer assistance. Use a major search engine to look for the best wireless Internet service. Consumers will find that there are many choices out there. Visit the websites for some of major companies and get a price. Usually, they will post the prices of their services online. Some customers may have to call others and get a quote. Keep in mind that many cable and even telephone companies may offer cable-free services. Call local branches to get prices. They may be able to offer a special package for current customers.

No matter what company seems best, customers must be sure to select a reliable company. Consumers may decide to go with a lesser known company. This is fine as long as they are reputable. Although price matters, it is more important that they provide good customer assistance and a reliable cable-free connection. If customers have too many problems with the company, it's best to consider taking business else where. Don't sign on for lengthy terms to save money. Some wireless Internet service providers may offer discounts if customers agree to their cable-free services for a year or more, but try to sign up for no more than six months. This will allow enough time to test the waters. Thus, those who are unhappy, won't have to get mad, they can just get out without fees or penalties. "He that is slow to wrath is of great understanding: but he that is hasty of spirit exalteth folly." (Proverbs 14:29)


http://www.christianet.com/internetservices/bestwirelessinternetservice.htm

Dsl High Speed Internet Service

DSL high speed Internet service is just one of the many options for connecting to the World Wide Web, other services include cable, satellite, wireless and dial-up. DSL Internet service is among the fastest solutions available to consumers and is generally the most popular to date. With many people running home based businesses, telecommuting and using the Internet for various forms of entertainment, the faster the better is what most consumers prefer. Slow, dial-up connections are less and less popular unless they are the only choice in certain rural areas. Soon, however, DSL and other forms of high speed connections will push slower access to the back of the line in every corner of the country.

Cable and Digital Subscriber Loop connections are still on top of the pile in regards to speed, affordability and access. Most individuals and businesses want capabilities of all the advanced media options such as streaming audio and video, Voice Over Internet Protocol, video cams and other soon-to-arrive functions. DSL high speed Internet service will take a further leap with the upcoming advancement through VDSL. Very High Bit-Rate DSL will offer super charged bandwidth that will out-perform the typical DSL service that most consumers are content with. VDSL is not available as of yet in many areas, but before long this new access will make an impact as the hot, newcomer to web connection.

Making a choice among the various connection options depend on availability, functions required and price. For those who want wireless service for their laptops while traveling, the wireless connection capability is available in a limited capacity. Travelers are especially in need of this type of access, but must generally be within 1,000 feet of a local, wireless access point. This is great for those who are in hotels, airports, or around public arenas and need freedom with their laptops. DSL Internet service is available in many hotels and travel centers, but wireless connection provides the desired mobility and it found in many travel spots throughout the US.

Satellite services offer consumers any where in America access to the web if they are in proper range. Requirements are generally that the southern sky must be visible in the target range in order for a consumer to have access. While this may provide availability to some consumers who do not have access to DSL high speed Internet service, it is not as cheap. Satellite access is generally almost twice as much as the other most popular forms of access. Dial up access has been around for some time and is known for its slower transmission speed for data, especially for files and digital media outputs. However, for those who do not want to pay a higher price for DSL Internet service or cable but want a faster access through this method, there is dialup Internet access which is faster than the older, dialup system.

For faster surfing, this method may be sufficient for marginal computer users, but for transmitting large files, nothing has changed in slow transmissions. Cable access is getting very common for web connections since many areas, including rural regions, now have cable television services. Web connection is over the cable network and is offered only by a provider that has made a business deal with the respective cable company. While it is helpful to have high speed access over television cable outlets when there is no other, it does limit choices of providers to the one that has a monopoly with the cable company. This limits competitive pricing among providers and leaves consumers at the mercy of whatever is available.

While a DSL Internet service produces online access through phone connections, older phone connections that do not have copper wiring cannot accommodate this high speed choice. "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man." (Col. 4:6) Many rural areas of the country are still operating with older phone lines, so high speed web access is not available, although it is rapidly drawing near as many phone companies are reworking systems as well as installing new ones. The accommodation of high speed access is advantageous to all concerned and it will continue to push the limits into rural and out-of-the way places in the US.

For many users of high speed access, the choice may be between cable or a DSL high speed Internet service. Although for some, there is no choice and location will determine which can be purchased. In either case, the prices are generally the same with DSL Internet service edging out cable at times by a few dollars more for installation and monthly fees. If both services are available, there are many variables that can effect which will be the most useful for any consumer. DSL speeds will depend on the distance from the Internet Service Provider, while cable speeds will depend on saturation of users at any one time on the cable line. It may be helpful to question neighbors and businesses in the surrounding area as to the type of speed and service they receive.

http://www.christianet.com/internetservices/dslhighspeedinternetservice.htm

Labels battle to hold onto DMCA win

The recording industry on Friday fought to preserve a preliminary courtroom victory, arguing that Verizon Communications has no choice but to hand over the identity of an alleged Kazaa music pirate

Why hasn't anyone heard of Jazzanova? I know, I know, this is my second column about them in almost as many months. But I just purchased The Remixes 1997-2000, and my CD player has not been able to part with it for weeks now. Maybe a review of it will serve as a kind of exorcism, and make way for another album in my boom box.

In case you don't know, (and you probably don't, unless you're from either Munich, Berlin, or Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where the people seem to know everything about good music) Jazzanova are a DJ collective comprised of six men with entertaining names like Jurgen von Knoblauch and Roskoe Kretschmann. They began playing and remixing records together in 1995. They describe their music as a hybrid of jazz, bossanova, (hence the name) soul, disco, R&B, and a little bit of everything else. They radically reinvent other artists' tracks, giving them the unique Jazzanova sound.

If I have any complaint about this album, it's that the aforesaid sound can get a bit samey. As background music, it's peppered with standout moments where you lean in and listen, curious to hear exactly what's going on. If you're playing it on your Discman/Walkman/MP3 player, you might find yourself skipping some tracks.

The two-CD set starts off with 4 Hero's We Who Are Not As Others. Eerie synth chimes immediately give you the feeling that what you're about to listen to is going to kick ass. It does, but with a whisper, not a scream. Jazzanova turn the track into what sounds like a robot band playing fusion. It's calm, intricate, and undeniably electronic.

Marschmellows' Soulpower is pure pop-funk, complete with slap-bassline, hand-claps, and squelching synths. They even break it down and add whooshing Seventies sounds at the end. Jazzanova manage to replicate an entire decade's worth of music in one song, and still make it their own cool blend.

Truby Trio's Carajillo melds Afro-pop with drum-pad beats and a simple, jazzy house piano line. The singers' voices call and answer to each other. It's music you want to turn up full volume and clamp headphones over your ears, but it's also perfect as background.

High Priestess, by Karma, has a big-band-shuffle feel that swings even when it turns into a bongo-ridden ¾ voodoo beat. Lazy upright bass and blasts of brass punctuate this swampy mire till it sounds like there's a full-on tribal ritual going on somewhere in the bayou. Every so often the heat breaks, but it always comes back full force before long.

Azymuth's Amazon Adventure starts with a beat that sounds as if it came straight off a Casio pre-programmed selection. It's soon accented with more organic instruments; a high piano, another upright bass, live drumming. It's intelligent hold music.

Absolute Space, by Koop, is more of the same Casio-on-ecstasy spasmodic jazz drumming and chiming piano, this time with a fair Bjork impression over the top. Although the drumming occasionally breaks the monotony by leaning toward an exhilarating Brazilian beat, this isn't one of my favorites. The same formula's applied in Ian Pooley's What's Your Number, but now something other than nonchalance is in the mix, as a woman's voice declares emotionally that "things change". This is one of the only songs in a minor key on the two-disc set.

Visit Venus's Planet of Breaks takes the frenetic jazz pace down to a nice steady dub. The drums flow, every once in a while broken by a little eddy of beats and beeps. Toward the end, however, the drummer once again gets carried away with himself. He might try listening to some Metallica, change the mood a little.
In a strongly worded brief filed in federal district court in Washington, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) assailed Verizon's request for a stay of a 21 January order as a brazen attempt by the telecommunications firm to "evade its responsibilities under the law".

The lawsuit, filed last August, pits the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) against Internet users' right to remain anonymous online. With the vocal assistance of civil liberties groups, Verizon has argued that the DMCA's turbocharged subpoena process is not sufficiently privacy-protective, because it can be used to glean the identities of hundreds or thousands of suspected peer-to-peer pirates at a time.

Matthew Oppenheim, a senior vice president at the RIAA, said in a conference call Friday that Verizon was exaggerating the privacy risks of complying with requests made under the DMCA. Verizon and its allies, including a former Clinton administration privacy official, have suggested that copyright holders should file a "John Doe" lawsuit to unmask suspected peer-to-peer infringers instead of wielding DMCA subpoenas.

"In private conversations with the RIAA, Verizon has made it very clear that this is not a privacy issue," Oppenheim said. "They said they would be happy to turn over the names of some of their customers, as long as they don't have to turn over the names of a lot of their customers."

At issue in the RIAA's request is section 512 of the DMCA, which permits a copyright owner to send a subpoena ordering a "service provider" to turn over information about a subscriber. The service provider must promptly comply with that order, and no judge's approval is required first. In August, the RIAA asked a federal court for an order under the DMCA compelling Verizon Communications to reveal the name of a Kazaa subscriber accused of illegally trading hundreds of songs.

Oppenheim said that Congress had created a careful balance between privacy and copyright when drafting the DMCA, and Verizon's argument that the DMCA applies only to material hosted on its own servers is specious. "They're not engaged in private conduct," Oppenheim said about peer-to-peer users. "They're on public networks making available hundreds of music recordings to millions of other users. They're not doing anything in private. They don't have the right to anonymously commit a crime."

Sarah Deutsch, a Verizon vice president and associate general counsel, said: "This is just the RIAA's desperate attempt to divert public attention from the fact that they want unlimited access to private communications. They're trying to divert attention from some of the bad publicity that this case has garnered."

Deutsch said the RIAA had spurned a compromise proposal. "We offered that while the case was pending, we would forward cease-and-desist letters to our subscribers, at our own cost, without revealing our customers' identities," Deutsch said. "But RIAA refused."

Verizon has appealed last month's order to comply with the DMCA subpoena, but the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia will not hear the case until US district judge John Bates decides, possibly in the next few weeks, to grant a stay or not.

In last month's 37-page decision, Bates ruled that Congress used "language that is clear" when crafting the DMCA. "Under Verizon's reading of the act, a significant amount of potential copyright infringement would be shielded from the subpoena authority of the DMCA," Bates wrote. "That would, in effect, give Internet copyright infringers shelter from the long arm of the DMCA subpoena power, and allow infringement to flourish."

In another court filing Friday, the RIAA moved to strike a declaration last Thursday from Peter Swire, an Ohio State University law professor and former Clinton administration official, as irrelevant. "Mr. Swire's declaration boils down to nothing more than a twelve-paragraph legal brief, largely derived from speculation -- most, if not all, of which directly contradicts this court's prior ruling," stated the RIAA in its legal filing. "While his 'sworn' statements may have a place in law review articles and policy debates, they have no place in a court of law."

If the RIAA prevails in this legal skirmish, it seems intent on pursuing DMCA subpoenas against other Internet providers. In a third court filing Friday, the trade group filed a statement from Jonathan Whitehead, an antipiracy vice president at the RIAA. Whitehead's statement said he sent Internet service provider EarthLink a DMCA subpoena on Wednesday for the identification of a single peer-to-peer user.
I have both a gripe and a rave about this record, and they're one and the same. As I began to review this album, sometimes I would let a track play, begin to write about it, and turn to my CD player to find another track had started playing without my being aware the song had changed. This is disconcerting if you're trying to listen to the album as a collection of songs, which is how it's presented. I think it would sound fantastic as a continuous mix, without the usual two or three seconds of silent space separating songs. Chill-out music, which is what this is, sounds better without interruptions. I'd like to experience a Jazzanova live set to see if I'm right about this album sounding better as one huge song. Because if I view it that way, it's stellar.

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,2130153,00.htm

Thus bends law to avoid responsibility for child porn

British telco Thus is arguing that it cannot legally check for paedophile content, despite making a pledge in February to actively remove unlawful content from its newsgroups.

The owner of ISP Demon Internet is using the Indecency with Children Act that criminalises the possession or distribution of child pornography, to justify its claim that it is illegal for an Internet Service Provider (ISP) to download indecent images from its servers for the purpose of checking for illegal content.

"I'm limited by simple legislation that prevents me from looking at child pornography -- how do you decide that something is paedophilic when it's illegal for me to look at it?" said Keith Monserrat, director of legal and regulation at Thus.

There is however a working code of practice within the Internet industry that allows police, the Internet Watch foundation and content providers to check for illegal content on the Web. Hermod Stener, lawyer at city firm Charles Russell, confirmed there is nothing within UK legislation to prevent an ISP from checking articles that it is hosting.

"No statute would prevent an ISP from downloading Web pages that it is hosting in order to check them," said Stener. "It's more a question of them wanting to avoid responsibility for their content -- giving a simple answer."

Demon Internet requires all registered users to sign up to an "Acceptable Use Policy" that warns against customers using the service for illegal purposes. The terms and conditions state: "We will investigate suspected or alleged breaches of this AUP... Demon Internet, at its discretion, may run manual or automatic systems to determine compliance with this AUP. Customers are deemed to have granted permission for this limited intrusion onto their networks or machines."

"Their terms and conditions state that they are able to access everything on their Web pages," said Stener. "When entering a newsgroup, the service provider is contractually bound to reserve the right to throw people out if they are doing something unlawful."

The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) -- the regulatory body responsible for protecting children online -- currently checks for indecent images on the Web by sight, which involves downloading child pornography in order to assess whether or not articles are illegal. "The very strictest application of the law is a conundrum that there's no way out of," said David Kerr, chairman of IWF.

Monserrat prevents any of his staff from personally checking newsgroup articles reported by customers to contain child pornography. "How do I know that I will not be considered an accomplice to a crime," he asked. Stener pointed out that there is little logic in this argument. "They are an accomplice to a crime if they are hosting illegal content," he explained.

An EU directive, called the Horizontal Selling Directive, due to be finalised shortly, will make it obligatory for ISPs to remove unlawful content from their servers on positive knowledge.

"This implies an obligation to go into newsgroups and download articles in order to check their content," Stener argued. Kerr said that half of the Web sites reported to the IWF to contain indecent images are actually not illegal. "It is acceptable for ISPs to check these complaints themselves, as the public at large are easily shocked by content, and don't know what's acceptable," he said.

"It's a matter of ISPs keeping their own house in order," agreed police inspector Terry Jones at Greater Manchester police Obscene Publications Unit.

Thus embarked upon a moral crusade in February to actively remove known paedophile content from its newsgroups. One week into its ambitious crackdown on child pornography, reports were already branding the decision "unworkable". Thus continues to deny knowledge of claims that they are still hosting two offending newsgroups the IWF alerted it to a year ago.

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/itmanagement/0,1000000308,2085357,00.htm

My own private ISP

Setting up your own Internet service provider can sometimes be the only way to get satisfactory Internet access options. In case you should want to give it a try, here's a case study: my own experience.

Over the past year or two, thousands of computer users have been flocking to open source operating systems such as Linux, FreeBSD, and OpenBSD. A mere five years ago, however, the thought of a "free" operating system in the corporate environment was virtually unheard of. While designing the network topology for one of my first clients, it took months to convince them to allow Linux workstations into their Sun environment.

Now that open source is finally getting the recognition that it deserves, many corporations are starting to integrate "free" products into their networks. Other companies, mostly home businesses and geek startups, rely solely on open source software to create their magic. Sosik-Hamor Networks is 100% open source with the exception of a Cisco router and a few Macintosh workstations.

Bandwidth requirements
About six months ago my wife Kelly and I decided we had outgrown our current Internet connection and it was time to rethink our plans for the future. I was currently a UNIX systems administrator for Lucent Microelectronics but was looking for more of a challenge. I was also doing some freelance consultation and Web design and we started to question the reliability and security of using our 500 Kbps cablemodem to connect to our colocated Linux Web server.

Kelly and I started discussing different bandwidth options in our price range. ISDN was outrageously expensive, ADSL wasn't available yet, and the new breed of cable modems being released by our ISP were going to be DHCP-only, which was not an option for our home network. Then, as if to fully realize every geek's dream, Kelly said, "We're already paying an arm and a leg for the colocated server ... how much is a T1?" So, Sosik-Hamor Networks was born.

Installing the T1
After shopping around for bandwidth with local ISPs and some of the larger telcos, we started running into problems. Since we're located in the middle of nowhere and our local telco is a monopoly, we had extremely limited options. Our local telco was either unable or unwilling to bring in a co-op line from an external provider, so we were forced to go with them for our T1. With this experience, we found out that physical location is one of the most important things to consider when putting together a business that will require high-speed access. Make sure that your local telco can handle a high-speed line from any ISP of your choice.

Because the sales representative couldn't comprehend why a home business would need a T1, I was greeted with much suspicion. It took over four months just to get a price quote and another month before the fiber was run from the telco to our street. On top of that, every step of the installation was met with hostility from the ISP due to the fact that I took a very direct approach after being blown off for five months: "Give meservice or I'll sue you for not allowing me to choose an alternate provider." Although blunt and hostile, a contract was in my hands within two hours and fiber was dropped into the basement a week later.

The final price tag for fiber installation and ISP setup for the 950 foot fiber run was $2,500 total and $970/month for a full 1.544MBps T1. Telco circuit charges and ISP bandwidth fees are all covered under the monthly charge, which is an incredible deal compared to the $8,000 installation and $3,400/month quote I was getting from some other ISPs in the area.

Network planning
During the wait for the T1, Kelly and I came up with a detailed network topology map and decided exactly what hardware and software would be required to put together an inexpensive and upgradable network that could be modified with minimal service interruptions.

* Cisco networking equipment will be used exclusively.
* The DMZ outside the firewall must be switched and SNMP-aware.
* The LAN inside the firewall will eventually be switched and SNMP-aware.
* All software must be 100% open source.
* OpenBSD will be used exclusively outside the firewall.
* Linux will be used exclusively inside the firewall.
* Macintoshes will be used exclusively for project development.
* The internal file server must be AppleTalk or AppleShare capable.
* A secure auditing workstation will sit between the DMZ switch and the DMZ ethernet port on the router.

After taking stock of our current hardware, we then compiled a list of what we owned and what we needed. All of the purchased hardware was chosen because outstanding deals had been found.

* Available hardware: SPARCstation 2, 64MB RAM, 1.2GB HDD
* SPARCstation 1+, 32MB RAM, 540MB HDD
* AMD K6/233, 96MB RAM, 4.6GB and 5.2GB HDD
* AMD K6/266, 128MB RAM, 7.2GB HDD
* IBM Aptiva P166MMX, 64MB RAM, 3.5GB and 25GB HDD
* Team Internet 486dx2/66, 64MB RAM, 1.2GB HDD
* Apple iMac G3/266, 160MB RAM, 6.2GB HDD
* Apple PowerMacintosh G3/400, 144MB RAM, 9.2GB HDD
* Miscellaneous m68k Macintoshes
* MaxTech 24-port Unmanaged Hub
* 2 Addtron 8-port Unmanaged Hubs

* Hardware to purchase: Cisco 2611 router
* WIC-1DSU-T1 integrated DSU/CSU
* Kalpana EPS-2015 RS managed switch
* 19" wallmount telco rack
* 8' steel equipment rack

Next, we started distributing the machines. The AMD systems and SPARCstations would become OpenBSD servers in the DMZ and the IBM and Apple systems would become Linux and Mac OS 8.6 production boxes on the internal LAN. Linux was chosen for the IBM Aptiva because we not only needed a file server but also a workstation-style installation with the X-Window System to run X applications such as xload from the servers in the DMZ. The final Team Internet machine became an OpenBSD security and auditing workstation to keep track of traffic and the little gremlins that tend to creep into networks.

Getting online
When shopping around for Cisco hardware, I ran across a friend on #cisco on EFNet Internet Relay Chat. He gave me the pros and cons of each Cisco router and put together a great deal on a new Cisco 2611 with integrated WIC-1DSU-T1 DSU/CSU for $2,500. I later ordered a 32MB RAM upgrade from Crucial Technology for $70 to bring the router up to 40MB.

Now that we had a router, we needed to pick up a switch for the DMZ. Switching was absolutely required because sniffing would be an issue with any colocated servers. Since we only needed a switch to protect against sniffing and wouldn't need cutting-edge network management features for a while, we tracked down some surplus Kalpana switches and an EPS-2015 RS for $125.

After months of fighting with our ISP, the fiber was finally dropped into the basement and the fiber patch panel and MUX were installed on top of the router and switch on our 19 inch wallmount rack. A few hours later, we were up and running with a minimal configuration and pinging the ISP. The installation tech left us on our own and we started router configuration for the DMZ, firewall, and NAT. Another half hour and our Macs behind the firewall could see the outside world.

Setting up core services
Since the SPARCstations are extremely slow at the command line but work great for months on end at menial tasks, they became the dedicated "core" servers that would take care of tasks such as DNS, outbound Web proxy, and outbound e-mail. We also decided that these two servers would be completely hardened with virtually no services whatsoever. Water would be configured as a bastion nameserver while earth would only handle DNS and outbound Web proxy and e-mail.

* Required software: Red Hat Linux 6.0
* OpenBSD 2.5
* Apache 1.3.4
* MySQL 3.22.22
* PHP3 3.0.12
* Qmail 1.0.3
* Squid 2.1.PATCH2
* Netatalk 1.4b2

earth.shn.nu

The SPARCstation 2 became "earth," the primary server that takes care of all core operations at Sosik-Hamor Networks. This system was the first to be installed because it had an external CD-ROM drive that could be used for FTP installs for other machines. OpenBSD 2.5 boot floppies were downloaded from ftp.openbsd.org and we started an FTP install on earth.

Total installation took around 45 minutes from start to finish, including downloading the approximately 250MB full distribution over the T1. Since the FTP installation method decompresses and installs files on the fly, like Linux, no scratch disk is required. Once finished, an obscure and long root passwd was chosen and the machine was rebooted into single user mode. All services except FTP and Daytime were disabled in inetd.conf and all daemons except named were disabled in rc.conf. Even portmap was disabled because the server would never be used in an open file server environment. The machine was rebooted and brought up on the Net.

With the machine up and running, the first software to be installed was SSH. To get up and running quickly, the pre-built SSH binary package was downloaded from ftp.openbsd.org and installed using pkg_add. The system was now accessible from the outside world, so I started up a few SSH sessions from my Macintosh.

The full i386 and SPARC OpenBSD 2.5 distributions were downloaded from ftp.openbsd.org and put in /home/ftp/pub/openbsd so we could immediately start installing on the other three servers. Anonymous FTP was configured and temporarily enabled for this task, but would be disabled once the other installations were finished. Although anonymous FTP is not a direct security hole, it is one more port to tempt a potential attacker.

Qmail was downloaded from www.qmail.org and installed from source because there hasn't been a direct qmail port for OpenBSD yet. Compiling qmail took a while because of the slow processor, but installation and configuration was painless. TCP wrappers were configured so qmail could only relay e-mail from the DMZ and firewall networks, and then set up as a secondary MX to queue e-mail for any other domains on the network should a primary mail server go down.

Squid was then installed for the outbound Web proxy to help hide the identity of machines in use behind the firewall. Configured with a 100MB disk cache and maximum privacy features enabled, Squid caches often accessed Web pages and hides the USER_AGENT and USER_REFERER strings so make it more difficult for Web servers to track movement from page to page. As with qmail, Squid only allows connections from within Sosik-Hamor Networks.

Forward and reverse nameserver zone files were then created from the default templates Sosik-Hamor Networks' primary domains. Zone transfers were disabled except for other nameservers in the DMZ, which makes it difficult for an attacker to download the forward and reverse maps of the network.

With earth up and running, other machines were brought online over the course of the next two or three days.

water.shn.nu

Because water, the SPARCstation 1+, would be a bastion nameserver, only minimal packages would be required. Compilers and other niceties were not installed because any patches and upgrades that were needed could be mirrored from earth. The only other package installed was SSH to allow for secure remote logins.

The installation process for water was virtually the same as earth except, instead of wasting bandwidth over the T1, OpenBSD was installed via FTP from earth. After installation was finished and the machine was brought up in single user mode, everything was commented out of inetd.conf and disabled in rc.conf except for named and sshd.

Although water was configured as a secondary nameserver to pull zone transfers from earth, we decided to list it first in the zone files and with InterNIC/NuNIC. That way most DNS requests would come into water first and keep earth free for other duties. Even though DNS isn't a very CPU or network intensive task, a nameserver that handles 100 or 200 domains needs to be carefully configured.

Setting up Web services
Most large Web hosting companies run multiprocessor PII and PIII machines to handle their high workload. Since we were just starting out and our old colocated P90 Linux server with 64MB RAM handled 50,000 hits a day without breaking a sweat, we figured that, until we got busy, our two existing AMD K6 systems would be perfect for our personal and client Web servers. Both K6 systems were basically the same, but we opted to use the K6/233 for fire and the more powerful K6/266 for wind.

fire.shn.nu

Fire was built first because we needed a machine to act as our testbed and production server for our corporate and project Web sites. All new configurations and software are tested on fire before going live on wind, and most interactive development packages from the ports tree are installed because fire is also used as the primary staff shell server.

All OpenBSD packages were installed via FTP from earth and all non-essential services were disabled in single user mode before bringing the system up on the Net. Because this was going to be a staff production system, quite a few services were left enabled and installed.

As with all of our systems, SSH was the first software to get installed to allow for secure remote access. Qmail was then installed and configured for virtual domain support with no relaying. With this configuration, qmail only allows inbound email or outbound email originating from localhost. Also, e-mail for each domain is handled by its own individual account and users have full configuration over aliases and forwarding without root intervention.

MySQL was then installed from the ports tree for all Web sites that need database interaction. A simple make; make install in the ports tree took care of everything and the MySQL server was up and running. The only additional change made to the default configuration was to create a mysql user, change the ownership of /var/db/mysql from root to mysql and make safe_mysqld launch as the user mysql user from rc.local.

A database is useless without a bridge to get data to and from the Web server, so PHP3 was installed. This required recompiling Apache from scratch in /usr/src/usr.sbin/httpd, so the Configuration file was modified to add in all the extra modules that we needed, ./Configure was run and then the PHP3 module was installed into the Apache source tree. Other various modules were added as well and then Apache was recompiled and dropped into /usr/sbin. Once compiled, suexec was also compiled and dropped into the Apache sbin directory to allow for secure execution of CGI binaries.

Once all of the servers were set up, niceties such as Emacs and Pine were installed from the ports tree. Deciding which applications get installed is simply a matter of user preference, so take a look through /usr/ports and do a make install for anything that looks interesting. Pre-built binaries are also available from ftp.openbsd.org. Smaller applications are just fine to run from precompiled binary packages, but larger applications that need tuning (Apache, MySQL, etc.) should be compiled from the ports tree on the system they will be running on.

wind.shn.nu

Wind is an exact mirror of fire and acts as the clients server. The only difference between wind and fire is that miscellaneous applications may get installed at each client's request (IRC scripts, etc.).

akasha.shn.nu

Akasha is the watchful eye that makes sure all is well out in the DMZ. It sits on a hub between the DMZ switch and the DMZ ethernet port on the router and constantly runs a sniffer and network analyzer to look out for "interesting" traffic. The main purpose for this is to keep track of per-MAC address accounting and to look for denial of service attacks or other nasty packets that may come across the fiber. Depending on the requirements at the moment, akasha may be the Team Internet 486dx2/66 running OpenBSD or a Macintosh IIcx running Mac OS 7.5.5.

Setting up the internal network
Now that the DMZ was set up and ready to go, the systems on the LAN inside the firewall needed to be reloaded and configured.

socks.shn.nu
Socks was chosen to be the internal file server and Red Hat Linux 6.0 was installed. Of the two disks, the 3.5GB was used as the boot disk with /home for home directories and the 25GB data disk was mounted as one huge 23.5GB partition under /home/warehouse01. As the need arises, more 25GB (or larger) disks will be installed as /home/warehouse02, etc.

Because of the large drives, the entire Red Hat distribution was installed and unused services were disabled for security. Making the jump from Red Hat Linux 5.0 to 6.0 was quite a large step, and I wanted to see everything 6.0 had to offer. So, not only was socks configured as a file server, but also as a user workstation to play with the new window managers that have become available. Even though virtually all Web site development is done using Adobe GoLive under Mac OS, the Linux workstation is used for most systems administration tasks.

To serve our internal Macintosh G3 workstations, socks also runs Netatalk, the UNIX implementation of the AppleTalk protocol. File transfer speeds over the internal 10BaseT LAN are surprisingly fast, but we will be moving to switched 100BaseT eventually to help speed things up. 10BaseT seems fast until you routinely start opening up 20MB Photoshop files for editing. All other services on socks are set up almost exactly like fire with Apache, MySQL, PHP3, etc.

To tie everything together, a Belkin OmniView 6-port KVM switch was used to control akasha, fire, wind and socks from the same keyboard, mouse, and monitor. All machines sit on an 8 foot vented steel rack, and an air conditioner keeps the machine temperature at 72 degrees. The entire NOC can be controlled from the keyboard and monitor hooked up to the OmniView.

DIY: Do It Yourself!
Overall, setting up an Internet resource provider isn't that expensive. A mixture of OpenBSD and Linux can make older workstations into perfect servers and keep initial startup costs extremely low. Using existing hardware and 100% open source software, we kept our startup costs under $8,000 and -- even using brand new systems -- easily stayed under $15,000. Also, by dropping fiber into a home business, your home office becomes a business expense with the added benefit of Mb speeds at home!ø

http://itmanagement.earthweb.com/erp/article.php/11072_615281_1