News

IT Tools Roundup, August 6

From the business wires this week: extending USB devices; handheld wireless analyzer from Comarco; iSCCI-based SAN for small/medium businesses; PDF conversion tool.

• By Michael Domingo
• 08/05/2004

Keyspan has upgraded its USB Server, which connects USB devices to Macs and PCs via a wired or wireless Ethernet LAN. New features:
automatic connection/disconnection to printers from Windows; System Tray icon; support for compound devices, such as USB devices with embedded hubs; and UI improvements. It's $129, but the upgrade is free to current customers. http://www.keyspan.com/products/usb/server/downloads/

Icron Technologies Corp. announced the Ranger 130 and Ranger 140, the first new releases in its family of hi-speed USB 2.0 extenders, with transfer speeds of up to 480 Mbps over 50 meters. Retail availability is slated for September. http://www.icron.com

SonicWALL upgraded its firewall operating system, SonicOS 2.5, with enhanced VoIP support, including Cisco, Mitel, Pulver, Apple iChat, and "softphones" from Yahoo and Microsoft; full stateful IGMP multicast support, with support for IGMP 1, 2 and 3; policy-based routing; and secure VPN deployment capabilities, among a host of other new features. It's available for SonicWALL's PRO and TZ 170 security appliances. http://www.sonicwall.com/

System Engineering Int'l released seven new models to its Juice Box line of IEEE-802.3af Power-over-Ethernet Mid Span Power Hubs. The line includes 12- and 24-port units with AC or DC input and with or without WEB/SNMP; the units fit in a 1U rack. http://www.seipower.com/ethernet.htm

SlipStream Data's SlipStream SP 3.2, a Web and e-mail accelerator, updates several features: integration with third-party apps; improved image compression and quality; and the addition of anti-spam functionality. http://www.slipstream.com

SEI's JuiceBox provides power over Ethernet to VoIP and other point-of-entry applications. Units are small, fitting in a 1U rack space.

Sentinare Messaging Solutions, which provides outsourced e-mail security services, adds a spam detection technique it calls "tarpitting," which monitors traffic and applies sluggish responses to senders showing spam-like behavior. http://www.sentinare.com

WinAbility Software's Folder Guard 7.0, a Windows security program, can be used to hide or restrict access to files and folders that contain sensitive information on both NTFS and FAT volumes. It protects files from access by programs such as Explorer, Office applications, even MS-DOS programs by intercepting those request, then requiring password access. Folder Guard XP and Classic is $39.95; Professional is $59.95. Volume discounts are available. http://www.winability.com

Foundstone released a free tool, SSLDigger, that automates the testing and rating of the use of SSL ciphers on an organization's Web site. It can generate data that can then be used to report on compliance with regulatory and industry encryption standards, including HIPAA and VISA's Cardholder Information Security Program. http://www.foundstone.com/resources/proddesc/ssldigger.htm

Nimbus Data Systems, Inc. released Nimbus IPS, a series of high-performance iSCSI storage solutions for small and medium-sized IT organizations. They're based on the native iSCSI standard, using Gigabit Ethernet, and are available in 500GB and 1TB configs that are stackable to 8TB per storage pool. Also new is Nimbus SAN Manager, which provides SAN management — including creation and resizing of volumns, monitoring, alerting, and security setup — from a central interface. Solutions that include support start at $4,995. http:/www.nimbusdata.com

Winability's Folder Guard 7.0's simplifies secure access to folders and programs.

Comarco Wireless Test Solutions is now shipping a series of handheld WiFi Analyzers for designing, installing, troubleshooting and optimizing 802.11-based Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum wireless networks. They track: Packet Error Rates; multipath and received signal strength indicator signal levels of home and neighboring networks; unauthorized access points; and throughput and security performance, among other features. It's $3,200. http://www.comarco.com

Software602's Print2PDF 4.0 Server Edition allows network users to convert documents from any application that has a print command into Adobe's Portable Document Format. It's $299.95 for 25 users to $1,999.95 for an unlimited user license. http://www.software602.com

For developers tackling the Developing and Implementing Windows-based Applications with Visual C# .NET and Visual Studio .NET, Whizlabs Software released MCSD .NET (70-316) Certification Exam Simulator, a study guide that comes with 440 questions in five mock exams and a quiz. http://www.whizlabs.com/mcsd/70-316.html

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