User gets flexible compression

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: DENISE DUBIE ON NETWORK OPTIMIZATION
10/25/05
Today's focus: User gets flexible compression

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* F5 adds intelligence to compression
* Links related to Network Optimization
* Featured reader resource
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by ProCurve Networking by HP
Network World Executive Guide: Compliance can be an opportunity
for Network Improvements

Federal regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are driving
increased corporate spending on key IT areas such as security,
authentication, access control and document management. Get
advice from experts. Read about real-world tactics. Learn about
the dark side of compliance: what happens when thing wrong.
And, how mandates are affecting IT budgets.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=118330
_______________________________________________________________
MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORKS ARE OUT - BUT WHAT'S IN?

Many vendors stopped using the term "frameworks" when they
became synonymous with endless deployment cycles. So, if
management frameworks are out, what is the alternative? Does a
series of multiple products from multiple vendors work? Will
Configuration Management Database (CMDB) emerge as the new
"framework" or "platform" for the enterprise? Click here for
more:
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=118205
_______________________________________________________________

Today's focus: User gets flexible compression

By Denise Dubie

Chris Sherwood was ready to upgrade his load-balancing and
compression tools in order to get something that could handle
gigabit speeds. In the process, he came upon a better way to
compress - or in some cases, not compress - data being
distributed across the company network to some 200,000 end
users.

Sherwood, network operations manager at Rappatoni, an
Internet-based Multiple Listing Service (MLS) real estate
provider, in Simi Valley, Calif., says his former compression
technology from NetScaler
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2005/070405-netscaler.html?rl>
didn't allow him as much control or flexibility over how to
manage application traffic. He refers to the tools from
NetScaler and his specific implementation as a "light switch" of
sorts that only allowed him to choose on or off when it came to
compression.

"In the NetScaler box the compression was on or off for the
entire unit, which wasn't ideal for us," Sherwood explains.

Following reviews of an upgraded product from NetScaler and one
from F5 Networks, Sherwood decided upon F5's Big-IP application
traffic management product
<http://www.networkworld.com/news/2004/0831f5jams.html?rl>.
While he experienced some problems getting the Big-IP appliances
to synchronize, Sherwood says now he can better control the
amount of compression applied to application traffic and even if
it gets compressed at all.

"Compressing everything slowed some applications down,
actually," he says. "Often the time it takes to decompress data
would lengthen the entire process, so not compressing it at all
was a better option."

F5 calls its technology intelligent compression, saying that
"compression is not a one-size-fits-all technology. Compression
that lacks intelligence and granularity can actually hurt
end-user performance, especially for those clients accessing an
application via a broadband connection with low latency."

Sherwood says he likes that he can apply policies and rules to
different applications to better manage how the traffic
traverses his net.

"We can set compression at 10 different levels, and depending on
the importance of the application or the end users, we can
decide which rules to apply," he says.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. Cisco talking IP-radio nets
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnetop9551>
2. School traps infected PCs in its web
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnetop9394>
3. Cartoon of the Week <http://www.networkworld.com/nlnetop9395>

4. Juniper gains corporate network ground
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnetop9552>
5. Cisco finally brings security push to LAN
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlnetop8994>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Denise Dubie

Senior Editor Denise Dubie covers network and systems management
for Network World. Reach her at <mailto:ddubie@nww.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Sybase
Data Explosion

It sounds so simple: if you collect enough business information,
you'll glean valuable insights that can drive both revenue
growth and competitive advantage. Along the way, however,
companies are discovering that managing the explosive growth of
online data can prove a formidable challenge. Here's how to
assess your data management style, and maximize your
opportunities to turn online data into business opportunity.
Click here for more on taming the data explosion.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=118151
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

Archive of the Network Optimization newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/accel/index.html
_______________________________________________________________
Optimize your WAN, save cash, and simplify your life: Case
studies from the real world.

Organizations across all industries are finally realizing that
they can achieve LAN-like performance on their WANs. Examine in
detail the ROI and benefits of Wide area Data Services (WDS)
technology.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=118311
_______________________________________________________________
FEATURED READER RESOURCE

Network World New Data Center: Spotlight on Advanced IP

Piecing Together the Next Generation IT Architecture. This 5th
installment in a 6 part series takes a look at at On-demand
services, automated management, and management technologies.
PLUS, see how two IT Execs are plotting their way to an all
IP-world. This NDC issue has it all, click here to read now:

<http://www.networkworld.com/supp/2005/ndc5/>
_______________________________________________________________
May We Send You a Free Print Subscription?
You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered
at your fingertips each day. Now, extend your knowledge by
receiving 51 FREE issues to our print publication. Apply
today at http://www.subscribenw.com/nl2

International subscribers click here:
http://nww1.com/go/circ_promo.html
_______________________________________________________________
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World e-mail
newsletters, go to:
<http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/Changes.aspx>

To change your e-mail address, go to:
<http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/ChangeMail.aspx>

Subscription questions? Contact Customer Service by replying to
this message.

This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com
Please use this address when modifying your subscription.
_______________________________________________________________

Have editorial comments? Write Jeff Caruso, Newsletter Editor,
at: <mailto:jcaruso@nww.com>

Inquiries to: NL Customer Service, Network World, Inc., 118
Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772

For advertising information, write Kevin Normandeau, V.P. of
Online Development, at: <mailto:sponsorships@nwfusion.com>

Copyright Network World, Inc., 2005