SUSE Linux enterprise 10 includes browser, im, xgl graphics
WALTHAM, Mass. – Novell Inc. is shipping version 10 of the SUSE Linux Enterprise operating system, which includes Xen virtualization and application-level security. The server version is designed for infrastructure computing, databases and mission-critical software.
New to version 10 of the desktop operating system is an integrated search tool and the Novell edition of OpenOffice.org 2.0. The desktop version, which Novell says is suited for retail point-of-sale machines, thin clients and engineering workstations, includes a browser and instant messaging software.
Pricing for the enterprise server edition starts at $496 per server while desktop subscriptions start at $71 per desktop per year. The server version includes management tools to configure storage for LAMP stacks, Oracle Real Application Clusters and Virtual Server images.
Want to find out how long your workers are spending on breaks?
VERO BEACH, Calif. – The average employee spends 45 minutes a day surfing the Internet for personal, non-work-related reasons, claims Spectorsoft Inc.
The software manufacturer is shipping its Spector 360 surveillance tool, which is designed to track the e-mail, Web browsing and downloading activities of employees.
It includes a dashboard application that can compare the activities of several employees, allowing administrators to make graphs of people’s instant messaging habits, Web sites visited, number of keystrokes, application usage, file transfers, network activity and online searches.
It also includes the Screen Snapshot Viewer, which can replay screen shots associated with events detected by the software.
Spectorsoft claims the software allows managers to determine which employees are spending the most time on the Internet, which employees are chatting the most, who sends the most e-mails with attachments, who types the most keystrokes, who takes the longest breaks and who leaves early.
It can also detect users who transfer files to USB drives, download music and other large files.
The software includes more than 50 report templates, which administrators can customize.
It can also detect searches for sites related to sex, guns or gambling.
Spectorsoft; www. spector360.com
Alcatel OmniPCX has LAN switching, voice over WLAN, TDM support, VPN
CALABASAS, Calif. – Alcatel SA is shipping a Linux-based IP communications server, the OmniPCX Office 5.0, which includes telephony, high-speed Internet access wireless and a PC-based attendance console.
Version 5.0, which is aimed at the small to mid-sized business market, also includes local-area network switching.
The product includes a CTI server and provides both Internet Protocol and Time Division Multiplexing (TDM) telephony for site-to-site communications, plus a session initiation protocol (SIP) network interface. Alcatel says SIP will support network services such as fixed-mobile convergence, multimedia and multi-terminal services.
The PIMphony attendant consoles lets companies centralize call reception at a single site, and includes a graphic interface that displays the status of all terminals in the network, including phones and PCs.
Version 5.0 also includes voice over wireless LAN capability.
Security features include a firewall, proxy server and IP virtual private network server.
The voicemail and e-mail can be combined to form a unified messaging service, and it includes Alcatel’s Web Communication Assistant, which lets users access both voice messages and e-mails with a browser.
Alcatel; www.alcatel.com
Advantex 8 targets mobile service guys
RICHMOND, B.C. – Mobile Data Solutions INc. (MDSI) has released Advantex 8, a mobile infrastructure product designed to manage field services, including maintenance, repair and inspection, for up to 10,000 technicians.
Advantex 8 lets dispatchers and supervisors see the location of their team and orders on a map, while technicians and crews can navigate to sites using mobile devices.
It tracks vehicles using global positions system (GPS) satellite and supports mobile applications, including street and facility maps and asset drawings.
Its wireless data features include wireless middleware, network roaming, data compression and encryption.
Version 8 includes 40 new features, including a scheduling algorithm that generates the best schedule, given the locations of the orders.
It also includes a geospatial scheduler, which automates some scheduling decisions.
MDSI; www.mdsi.ca
Digi-Data T2000 RAID controller consolidates just a bunch of disks
p>COLUMBIA, MD. – Digi-Data Corp. has unveiled T2000 clustered redundant array of inexpensive disk (RAID) controller, includes disk power management and flash support for uninterruptible power supplies.
The hardware is designed to consolidate several just a bunch of disk (JBOD) enclosures.
The performance of a cluster of three controllers is rated at 930 Megabits per second, for applications such as disk-to-disk backup, image archiving and virtual tape.
Each controller, which can support 840 drives using seven channels, includes eight Fiber Channel ports, which can be configured for either disk or host connectivity.
The controller can aggregate several groups of RAIDs into a larger group.
The power nap feature is designed to spin-down between 75 and 88 per cent of disks in an inactive RAID group, which reduces power usage in the data centre.
Another power protection feature is the storage on redundant modules (STORM), which packages a single controller in an enclosure, rather than housing two controller boards requiring a a battery to backup the cache. The controller is also designed to prevent data loss by copying write data to flash memory in the event of a power system failure.
Digi-data; www.digidata.com
Symantec, Micronet unveil networked storage
Symantec Corp. and MicroNet Technology have announced their latest enterprise storage offerings.
Cupertino, Calif.-based Symantec has launched two Veritas products: Storage Foundation 5.0 and Cluster Server 5.0.
Storage Foundation 5.0 is designed to allow centralized control over storage administration on operating systems such as Sun Solaris, HP-UX and IBM AIX. Version 5.0 includes disk virtualization, which lets administrators group different physical disks into logical disks, which can be resized. It automates several administrative tasks, including file system and volume resizing, domain reconfiguration, defragmentation, backup and off-host processing.
Administrators can also create polices that will move files, based on the date created, last time accessed, owner, size or name. They can also deport data from one operating system to another without creating copies or moving the data.
Cluster Server 5.0, which is designed to reduce planned and unplanned downtime, can test disaster recovery plans without disruption. Administrators can monitor, manage and report on several clusters on different platforms from one console.
Version 5.0 includes a “fire drill” feature, which creates a copy of live production data and automates the process of application testing.
Symantec; www.symantec.com
For small to mid-sized businesses, Torrance, Calif.-based Micronet is shipping PlatinumNAS 3.0, an appliance with 3 Terabtyes of networked storage on four hot-swappable SATA drives.
It supports dual channel Gigabit Ethernet, which means it can run on separate subnets, on network serves such as FTP, webdisk and Appleshare. Micronet claims PlatinumNAS has 50 per cent more capacity, and uses 35 per cent less energy than “competitive products.”
The suggested retail price is US$3,700.
Virtual machine software ships
TORONTO – PlateSpin Ltd. is shipping PowerConvert 6.0, which lets users stream servers across physical and virtual infrastructure using blades or virtual machine. Version 6.0 supports VMware Infrastructure 3, is designed for large data centers for server consolidation, disaster recovery and automated test lab deployment.
PowerConvert lets administrators migrate virtual machines from VMware ESX Server .5 to Infrastructure 3 while the virtual machine is running. It automates tool updates, hardware upgrades and the configuration of machine settings.
Production virtual machines running Windows 2000, Windows 2003 and Windows XP remain live as the operating systems, applications and data are migrated. PlateSpin claims the interruption will only last one to five minutes.
Administrators can convert servers running Windows or Linux to a vriutal machine hosted on VMWare ESX Server, VMware Server, Microsoft Virtual Server or a PlateSpin Flexible Image.
PowerConvert also lets administrators reconfigure central processing units, disks, network and memory resources on the new target virtual machine.
Pricing starts at $45 per conversion.
Its recovery feature is designed to replicate a server by streaming it over he network to any available physical or virtual machine that can be used a standby, without taking the source server offline.
Psion teklogix handheld pc includes voice recognition
MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – Psion Teklogix has announced the Workabout Pro Speech, a handheld computer designed for warehouses and distribution centres.
The Speech version of the Workabout Pro device includes voice recognition software from Pittsburgh-based Vollect Inc. It is available in both short and long keyboard configurations.
Psion Teklogix claims the integrated speech model has a voice recognition accuracy rating of 99.4 per cent.
The device, which includes push to talk and voice over IP, is available with wither Windows Mobile 2003 SE or Windows CE .NET.
The manufacturer claims it still works if it’s dropped on concrete from a height of 1.1 metres.