M2 PRESSWIRE-4 October 2000-VERSANT: Versant to feature enJin Early Adopter Programme to turbocharge application servers at Java 2000 Show; Versant EnJin programme targeted at scalable, highperformance Java and EJB application environments (C)1994-2000 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD
RDATE:04102000
Versant Corporation(NASDAQ: VSNT), a leading provider of middleware infrastructure technology, has announced the UK launch of its enJin Early Adopter Release (EAR) program at the Java 2000 Show, Olympia, London, from October 11 to 12.
Developed to help customers speed the performance and enhance the scalability of their application server environments, Versant's EnJin is the industry's first comprehensive middle-tier infrastructure platform to integrate with all Enterprise JavaBeans (EJB) compliant application servers, and provides seamless synchronisation with the back-end enterprise database.
Customers using Versant enJin can expect performance enhancements of up to 50 times, depending on the complexity of their e-business application. In addition, Versant enJin is architected for highly distributed environments, a requirement for e-business applications, allowing scalability beyond what an application server is able to achieve on its own.
"Many customers experience a performance degradation once they have deployed an application server environment," said Christine A. Caldwell, VP of Marketing, Versant. "The reason for this is simple - the application server represents the next evolution of the object component architecture, highly suited for the distributed and complex e-business application they are serving. However, integrating that powerful architecture with the more traditional relational environment creates a bottleneck. Versant enJin removes that bottleneck, seamlessly, for our customers."
The secret of Versant enJin lies in its integrated set of components which include: seamless persistence for Enterprise JavaBeans (EJBs), distributed caching, automatic failover for high availability and synchronisation with the back-end relational database. In addition, Versant enJin provides support for XML data, a Java interface and an EJB framework allowing customers to integrate enJin with any application server.
By persisting EJBs within the middle-tier, customers are able to forego the time-consuming process of converting from the object world to the relational world. Once a transaction is completed, Versant's synchronisation capability updates the back-end relational database, ensuring integrity of the information throughout the hand-off.
"We have architected our system for very high performance, scalability and guaranteed uptime," said Carl Schmidt, Co-founder and Chief Software Architect for Kazootek.com. "One of our customers, Cyberoad.com, offers an online gambling service and their users have exceedingly high requirements.
If we go down, they potentially lose several millions of dollars and their users are frustrated by the lost opportunity. We have found that Versant enJin, in combination with BEA WebLogic, allows us to provide the around-the-clock service we need as well as an ability to handle unpredictable peak loads."
The Versant Early Adopter Release Program lets companies "turbo-charge" their application servers starting now. The Program offers a complete package including one developer's license of the EAR software, three days enJin training and five days enJin consulting. When Versant enJin becomes generally available, each EAR customer can purchase developer licenses at a discount through the end of 2000. To register for EAR: www.versant.com/enjinearlyrelease. Pricing for the Program, available starting September 1, 2000 through December 31, 2000 is $20,000 US.
About Versant Corporation
Since the company's founding in 1988, Versant Corporation (NASDAQ: VSNT) has led the industry in providing highly scalable and reliable object management solutions for complex, enterprise-level systems. Customers in the telecommunications, financial services, transportation, and defence industries have depended on Versant ODBMS for large-scale applications such as yield management, fraud detection, real-time data collection and analysis, and operation support systems (OSS). Today, Versant enJin applies that same technology to another large-scale solution, helping customers build their e-business and Internet infrastructure where scalability, performance and fast time-to-market are critical success factors. Additional information about Versant at: www.versant.com
CONTACT: Adrian Jones, Versant Corporation Tel: +44 (0)1256 366500 e-mail: ajones@versant.com Jean-Claude Bellando, Versant Corporation Tel: +331 4507 6706 e-mail: bellando@versant.fr John Bradshaw, JBPR Tel: +44 (0)483 838331 e-mail: jbpr@x-stream.co.uk
((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data prepared by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).
ST. JACOB, Ill., Oct. 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Home Telephone Co. (HTC) announced today that it would conduct a market trial of digital subscriber line (DSL) services. HTC will evaluate the effectiveness of DSL services to provide high-speed Internet access for its customers in southern Illinois using the ATIUM(R) GateWay platform. AG Communication Systems has successfully deployed DSL services at a number of other independent service providers across the country, including Elkhart (Kansas), Harrisonville (Illinois), Leaco (New Mexico) and Loretto (Tennessee) telephone companies.
"DSL services provide substantial increases in speed compared to standard 56K modems," said Justin Schmidt, plant supervisor of Home Telephone Co. "Users of DSL services can expect to download data at speeds up to 2.5 Mbps and upload at 1.0 Mbps. For example, a file that takes 30 minutes to download with a 56K modem can be downloaded in about 30 seconds with DSL."
"As an added bonus, DSL technology allows a customer to make a telephone call and access the Internet at the same time," said Rachel Watson, marketing manager of Home Telephone Co. "Because voice and data traffic use different frequencies with DSL, only one physical line is needed."
Several computers at the Home Telephone Co. office will be configured with DSL services. HTC customers will be able to arrange a hands-on demonstration of these DSL services by calling the HTC office at (618) 644-2111.
"ATIUM GateWay is really a win-win for both service providers and end users," said Mark Emery, vice president and general manager of the New Ventures Group at AG Communication Systems. "ATIUM GateWay's broadband access solution allows service providers to relieve congestion on their voice network using their existing copper infrastructure. At the same time, end users get the speed they demand for efficient Internet and remote LAN connections."
DSL technology divides the available spectrum on existing copper phone wire between voice and data, with voice on the baseband below 4 Khz and data on the higher broadband spectrum. Using DSL technology, service providers can deliver multimegabit data rates while leaving voice services intact -- on a single physical line. This broadband data network access service moves information at extremely high speeds, increasing productivity by eliminating waits for data transport.
Phoenix-based AG Communication Systems, a subsidiary of Lucent Technologies, is a leading provider of advanced communication products and services, including switching, access, video, wireless and intelligent network products. AG Communication Systems' GTD-5(R) digital switching systems serve more than 17 million business, government, and residential subscribers throughout North America. Annual revenues for the fiscal year ended September 1998 were approximately $450 million. Additional information is available on the company's web site at http://www.agcs.com.
All products and brand names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. GTD-5 is a registered trademark used under license from GTE Corporation.
Byline: MARK JEFFERIES
SOMETHING'S a bit off in the Rovers - and it's not the bitter, but Michelle Collins's dodgy accent.
Some Coronation Street stars and crew have now joined the viewer backlash over the hit ITV1 soap's newcomer.
They are prepared to support ex-eastender Michelle, 50, but they don't understand why the role of Mancunian pub manager Stella did not go to an actress with a more convincing northern accent.
A show source said: "There is real concern and shock among some people on set at Michelle getting the job. She just doesn't sound right and they fear it affects the show's credibility." After her debut last week, fans took to the internet to criticise her "pretty awful" accent.
Corrie chief Phil Collinson said: "I think her accent's great.. I think the thing is people will just get used to it."
But many fans blame Collinson himself. He and Michelle are good friends - just last week, they were together at a Terrence Higgins Trust charity dinner in london.
One blogger called Bob fumed: "The accent was AWFUl. Why did Collinson or his team not have the brains to say ditch the accent, it's not working?" A Street spokesman insisted that Michelle was employed by several executives on merit, and said they had received no official complaints about her accent.
Michelle's agent Jonathan Shallit said last night: "If some members of Coronation Street are slagging off Michelle, then I suspect it's jealousy. Her portrayal is fantastic."
shelleyvision: Page 21
CAPTION(S):
ARRIVALS Michelle with John Michie PALS Michelle with Phil Collinson at a charity dinner
Simple Steps Can Ready Businesses and Government Agencies, Saving Money and Improving Network Resiliency
GERMANTOWN, Md., June 1, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), the global leader in broadband satellite network solutions and services, today announced the availability of Hughes Emergency Solutions in anticipation of the 2011 hurricane season and in response to the terrible tornadoes much of the country has experienced this spring. WSI Corp., a weather software maker, has predicted another very active season for hurricanes in 2011, which may affect businesses and government entities in the Atlantic and Gulf Coast regions.(1) Hughes Emergency Solutions are designed to provide robust, expedited broadband Internet connectivity for business and government when disasters strike, whether earthquakes, tornadoes, or hurricanes.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110112/NE29456LOGO )
According to researchers from John Hopkins and Texas A&M University, during the last five major hurricanes, nearly 30,000 businesses and government entities were forced to cease operations due to power outages and loss of Internet connectivity.(2) The 2011 hurricane season is expected to be above normal with an estimated 17 named storms and nine hurricanes -- five of which will be Category 3 or higher. Businesses and government offices can expect to experience network downtime, impairing emergency response and recovery efforts, disrupting business activities, and impacting the ability to keep mission-critical operations running smoothly.
"Continuity during disasters is imperative for businesses and government agencies," said Mike Cook, senior vice president at Hughes. "Broadband satellite services provide network connectivity that continues to operate when terrestrial networks -- including cell towers -- are severely damaged. Incorporating satellite services into emergency planning and response activities enables businesses and government agencies to maintain uninterrupted Internet connections needed to facilitate disaster response and day-to-day operations such as sending and receiving e-mails, processing orders, sharing information, and checking inventory. We encourage businesses and government agencies to follow our recommendations to ensure that they stay connected during the hurricane season."
Hughes suggests businesses and government agencies follow these simple steps to stay connected, eliminate Internet downtime, and prevent significant disruptions during this hurricane season.
* Have a back-up generator and plenty of batteries on hand. Maintaining electrical power will be a top priority. Without electrical power, you will not be able to maintain your Internet connection.
* Subscribe to a resilient, high-speed Internet service, such as satellite broadband, so decision makers and emergency operators can stay connected, as well as to ensure that your e-mail, product orders, and other critical information can be maintained should your terrestrial network fail.
* Prepare and protect critical data. Evaluate which applications and data are essential, such as Continuity of Operations (COOP)/emergency response plans, accounting documents, inventory logs, and constituent information; back up the information in a timely manner, and store the data in a safe, secure, and dependable facility. Since data may be lost due to flooding, consider storing data at an off-site location.
* Keep at least one corded phone connected to a wall jack to ensure that your office has telecommunications service in the event of an electrical-only outage.
* Do not hesitate to go on alert. If you believe you are at risk of losing service for an extended period of time, put your Web hosting provider on alert.
According to Cook, "Landline connections can be unreliable during significant flooding and windy conditions, forcing operations to cease. This can mean a significant loss of revenue for businesses, and disruption of vital government services which are needed most in recovery operations. Hughes Emergency Solutions provides both fixed and mobile satellite solutions that can quickly restore those connections."
The Hughes Emergency Solutions features an Internet service plan with download speeds of up to 5 Mbps and upload speeds of up to 1 Mbps, made possible by utilizing Hughes' advanced SPACEWAY 3 Ka-band satellite system. The service plan includes comprehensive 24/7 technical support, next-business day field maintenance, and provides organizations with the flexibility they need in an emergency, requiring only a two-month service commitment that may be extended on a month-to-month basis, depending on need.
In addition, Hughes offers mobile solutions with nationwide reach and vehicle-mount, on-the-move terminals and flyaway kits that set up quickly for emergency Internet access. Hughes can also provide mobile satellite service using Inmarsat's Broadband Global Area Network (BGAN) service and Hughes BGAN terminals.
Businesses and government agencies can order directly from Hughes by calling 1-877-881-8603.
To download the white paper, "Hughes Emergency Solutions," please visit www.hughes.com and click on News/White Papers.
About Hughes Network Systems
Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES) is the world's leading provider of satellite broadband for home and office, delivering innovative network technologies, managed services, and solutions for enterprises and governments globally. HughesNet is the #1 high-speed satellite Internet service in the marketplace, with offerings to suit every budget. To date, Hughes has shipped more than 2.5 million systems to customers in over 100 countries, representing over 50 percent market share. Its products employ global standards approved by the TIA, ETSI, and ITU organizations, including IPoS/DVB-S2, RSM-A, and GMR-1. Headquartered outside Washington, D.C., in Germantown, Maryland, USA, Hughes operates sales and support offices worldwide, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hughes Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: HUGH). For more information, please visit www.hughes.com.
(c)2011 Hughes Network Systems, LLC. Hughes, HughesNet, and SPACEWAY are registered trademarks of Hughes Network Systems, LLC.
(1) WSI Corp., December 22, 2010 (2) Homeland Security Newswire, March 2010
SOURCE Hughes Network Systems, LLC
WASHINGTON -- The following information was released by Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy:
Senate Judiciary Committee leaders Thursday renewed bipartisan efforts to counter the illegal online sale of counterfeit goods. Legislation introduced by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) aims to crack down on rogue websites dedicated to the sale of infringing or counterfeit goods.
The Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act, or PROTECT IP Act, follows bipartisan legislation introduced in 2010, which won the unanimous support of Senate Judiciary Committee members. The PROTECT IP Act narrows the definition of a rogue website, while ensuring that law enforcement can get at the "worst-of-the-worst" websites dedicated to selling infringing goods. Copyright infringement and the sale of counterfeit goods reported cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars and hundreds of thousands of jobs, as well as billions of dollars in lost tax revenue for federal, state and local governments.
"This legislation will protect the investment American companies make in developing brands and creating content and will protect the jobs associated with those investments," said Leahy. "It will also protect American consumers, who should feel confident that the goods they purchase are of the type and quality they expect. The PROTECT IP Act targets the most egregious actors, and is an important first step to putting a stop to online piracy and sale of counterfeit goods."
"With this legislation, we are sending a strong message to those selling or distributing counterfeit goods online that the United States will strongly protect its intellectual property rights," said Hatch. "Just because it's on the Internet doesn't mean it's free. Fake pharmaceuticals threaten people's lives. Stolen movies, music, and other products put many out of work. This is why protecting property rights is a critical imperative and is why we've come together in introducing this common-sense bill."
"The online distribution and sale of pirated content and counterfeit goods imposes a huge cost on the American economy in terms of lost jobs, lost sales, lost innovation and lost income. Piracy and counterfeiting can also present serious health and safety problems for consumers," Grassley said. "This legislation will add another tool to the toolbox for going after these criminals and protecting the American public."
The PROTECT IP Act will provide law enforcement with important tools to stop websites dedicated to online piracy and the sale of counterfeit goods, which range from new movie and music releases, to pharmaceuticals and consumer products. Key updates to the PROTECT IP Act include:
A narrower definition of an Internet site "dedicated to infringing activities";
Authorization for the Attorney General to serve an issued court order on a search engine, in addition to payment processors, advertising networks and Internet service providers;
Authorization for both the Attorney General and rights holders to bring actions against online infringers operating an internet site or domain where the site is "dedicated to infringing activities," but with remedies limited to eliminating the financial viability of the site, not blocking access;
Requirement of plaintiffs to attempt to bring an action against the owner or registrant of the domain name used to access an Internet site "dedicated to infringing activities" before bringing an action against the domain name itself;
Protection for domain name registries, registrars, search engines, payment processors, and advertising networks from damages resulting from their voluntary action against an Internet site "dedicated to infringing activities," where that site also "endangers the public health," by offering controlled or non-controlled prescription medication.
Online infringement legislation proposed in the last Congress was strongly supported by a broad spectrum of stakeholders and organizations, including labor unions, the Newspaper Association of America, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the music, movie and television industries, authors and publishers, and anti-piracy organizations.
Leahy and Hatch introduced legislation to counter online infringement in September 2010, and in November 2010, the Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved the legislation by a vote of 19-0. In February, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing examining the impact of online infringement and counterfeit sales. The PROTECT IP Act builds on the consensus legislation approved by the Committee last year, while incorporating provisions in response to concerns raised by stakeholders.
The PROTECT IP Act is cosponsored by Senators Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-.R.I.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), Christopher Coons (D-Del.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.)
Leahy is the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Hatch is a former Committee Chairman and a senior Republican on the panel, and Grassley is the Committee's Ranking Member. Leahy is expected to schedule Committee consideration of the PROTECT IP Act soon.
(Washington, DC, Woods Hole, MA, & Munich, Germany) The ninth installment in the Berlin Open Access Conference Series, which convenes leaders in the science, humanities, research, funding, and policy communities around The Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, will take place at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute on November 9 & 10, 2011. The conference, called "Berlin 9 Open Access Conference: The impact of Open Access in research and scholarship," will focus on the role that open online access can play in accelerating the conduct and communication of scholarship, and the opportunities this presents to the funders, creators, and end users of this information.
The Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities, issued in 2003 by international research, scientific, and cultural institutions, promotes the Internet as a medium for disseminating global knowledge. It has been signed by the leaders of nearly 300 research institutions, libraries, archives, museums, funding agencies, and governments from around the world. Signatories include the Max Planck Society (co-initiator and custodian of the declaration), CERN, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Academia Europea, Harvard University, and the International Federation of Library Associations.
The Berlin Open Access Conference Series supports the continued adoption and realization of the principles of the declaration and has been hosted in Germany, Switzerland, England, Italy, France, and - most recently - China. Berlin 9 will mark the first such meeting to take place in North America. The program will feature concrete steps taken by a variety of stakeholders to support Open Access and invite participants to consider added actions that might be taken - including encouraging signatures to the Berlin Declaration.
Berlin 9 is being organized by representatives from the science, humanities, research, funding and policy communities, including the Marine Biological Laboratory, and will be held on the campus of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, in Chevy Chase, MD. Conference planning is being coordinated by the Max Planck Society and SPARC (the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition).
Further details will be available through the Web at www.berlin9.org. Registration will open later this spring.
Keywords: Asia, China, Sparc.
This article was prepared by NewsRx Health editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2011, NewsRx Health via NewsRx.com.
M2 PRESSWIRE-October 21, 2010-BASF: Highly efficient silver for medical devices(C)1994-2010 M2 COMMUNICATIONS
RDATE:21102010
BASF Future Business GmbH is putting its best foot forward at the Compamed trade show in Dusseldorf, Germany, as a partner for the development of customized solutions for medical device materials.
Hygentic(r) additives feature excellent antimicrobial effects. BASF uses them to formulate customized material solutions for medical devices. The company is exhibiting its extensive portfolio of Hygentic(r) products and appropriate supporting services from November 17 through 19, 2010 at the Compamed trade show in Dusseldorf (booth 8bH30, hall 08b).
"Resistant bacteria are causing patients to contract infections in hospitals around the world, despite careful hygiene measures. Being difficult to cure, these infections cause immense costs, as well as a great deal of human suffering," explained Edgar Eichholz, Launch Manager Medical Device Materials. BASF cooperates with its customers to find solutions for medical device and equipment surfaces that durably prevent potentially hazardous microbial buildup. "Products featuring our additives support the measures of professional hospital hygiene," Eichholz said and added: "This minimizes the risk of medical devices contributing to the acquisition of infections."
Medical devices such as urinary and vascular access catheters made with Hygentic(r) products provide an improved safety for patients and health personnel. The customized material solutions are mainly based on silver ions. For centuries silver is valued and used due to its antimicrobial effect.
"Our broad range of products and our expert know-how enable us to offer customized formulations that meet specific customer needs," Eichholz reported. "Our developers work together closely with customers in this process." In fact, BASF's medical devices team has technical capabilities to produce customized formulations and incorporate them into a variety of materials, such as thermoplastics or silicones, at its technical center at Tarrytown, New York.
"For manufacturers of medical devices and equipment we combine silver ions contained in a variety of substrates, e.g. glass, from the Hygentic(r) portfolio selectively to meet the requirements of a given application. In the process, synergy effects enhance the efficiency of the individual components," Eichholz explained. In the formulations obtained in this way, the silver ions will act longer, for example, or faster.
A dedicated microbiology team checks the various formulations obtained for antimicrobial effectiveness against relevant microorganisms, including mulitresistant pathogens like MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus).
BASF is also researching new generations of materials with novel surface effects that are of interest for medical devices and equipment, and offers cooperation opportunities for medical device manufacturers. The business segment Medical Device Materials is part of BASF Future Business GmbH since 2009 when BASF acquired Ciba.
About BASF Future Business GmbH
BASF Future Business GmbH, a 100 percent subsidiary of BASF SE, was founded in April 2001. It aims to open up business areas with above-average growth rates that lie outside BASF's current activities. The company focuses on chemistry-based new materials, technologies and system solutions. BASF Future Business GmbH commissions research from BASF's R&D units and cooperates with startup companies, industrial partners, universities and potential customers. Further activities include acquisition of direct stakes, initiation of joint ventures and provision of venture capital via the subsidiary BASF Venture Capital GmbH. Further information on BASF Future Business is available on the Internet at www.basf-fb.de .
About BASF
BASF is the world's leading chemical company: The Chemical Company. Its portfolio ranges from chemicals, plastics and performance products to agricultural products, fine chemicals and oil and gas. As a reliable partner BASF creates chemistry to help its customers in virtually all industries to be more successful. With its high-value products and intelligent solutions, BASF plays an important role in finding answers to global challenges such as climate protection, energy efficiency, nutrition and mobility. BASF posted sales of more than EUR50 billion in 2009 and had approximately 105,000 employees as of the end of the year. Further information on BASF is available on the Internet at www.basf.com.
((M2 Communications disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data supplied by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).
A leading expert on gambling addictions, saying that "prohibition doesn't work," today praised the Illinois Video Gaming Act for addressing the issue head-on by providing funding for treatment programs (see also Addiction Medicine).
"Treatment, not prohibition, is the best way to treat problem gamblers," said Joanna Franklin, who has designed and delivered clinical training programs in 45 states, 10 Canadian provinces, 31 Indian tribes and nine countries outside the United States.
"Problem gamblers are not without options. They will go to a racetrack or casino or the Internet if they can't find a video gaming machine," she added.
Franklin, president of the Institute on Problem Gambling in Baltimore, gave high marks to the Illinois Video Gaming Act, which provides $2.5 million to the Department of Human Resources for treatment programs.
The bill, which passed July 13, allows certain licensed liquor pouring establishments to operate as many as five video gaming devices, provided these machines are located in areas accessible only to adults. Some 25 percent of the revenues from these machines will go to the state, primarily to help fund the $31-billion capital bill. Another 5 percent goes to the local municipality where the machines are located.
A 2008 study published in Psychological Medicine magazine reported a pathological gambling rate of 0.6 percent and a problem gambling rate of 2.6 percent among the general U.S. population.
"We understand that gambling addiction is a serious problem," said Tom Fiedler, president of the Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association, "but it is one that affects only a small percentage of the population. By comparison, alcohol abuse represents a much bigger problem, affecting 12 percent of the population."
"Of those adults who do gamble," he added, "the vast majority do so strictly for its entertainment value.
"We believe that sufficient safeguards have been built into the legislation so that the video games, as they are being designed for Illinois, will not be particularly attractive to problem gamblers," said Fiedler. He noted the machines will accept bets of 5 cents to a $2 maximum, with a $500 maximum win per hand.
Headquartered in Morris, the ICMOA is a 120-member, non-profit organization formed by businesses involved in the coin-operated amusement machine industry in Illinois. For more information on the Illinois Gaming Act, http://gaming.icmoa.org/.
Keywords: Addiction Medicine, Mental Health, Illinois Coin Machine Operators Association.
This article was prepared by Mental Health Weekly Digest editors from staff and other reports. Copyright 2009, Mental Health Weekly Digest via NewsRx.com.
Petabyte-Class Array Sets New Standards for Scalability and Cost-effectiveness for Capacity-intensive Applications
NEWBURY PARK, Calif. -- iQstor Networks, Inc., a leading developer of intelligent and integrated Storage Area Network (SAN) solutions, today announced that it will introduce its next-generation iQ5200 high-density front loading storage array to the public at Supercomputing '08, the premier international conference of high performance computing, networking analysis and storage, booth #1725, November 17-20 in Austin, Texas. The new iQstor iQ5200 combines intelligent enterprise-class software features with unparalleled cost-per-terabyte and massive scalability to create new standards for high-density enterprise storage systems.
Built to meet the requirements of businesses with demanding high-capacity environments, the iQstor iQ5200 raises the bar for high-end, high capacity storage systems by delivering up to 52TB (terabytes) of fault tolerant storage capacity in a 4U array. The new iQ5200 is a simple-to-deploy, all-inclusive SAN solution with embedded enterprise-class software features including volume manager-based virtualization, snapshot, volume copy, remote replication, storage provisioning and policy-driven capacity expansion. By leveraging the industry's highest storage density per rack inch - 13TB per U using 1TB drives - along with the ability to scale up to 1.04 Petabytes under a single management interface, the iQ5200 offers customers an unmatched storage solution to safely and cost-effectively manage their ever growing capacity needs.
"iQstor's iQ5200 is a complete solution for businesses faced with the very real challenge of managing ever growing capacity demands against shrinking IT budgets," said Jason Lo, president and CEO of iQstor Networks. "No other storage array available today delivers this level of enterprise features, compact storage density, and ultra-scalable capacity. And, IT managers are sure to be impressed by its ease-of-use and unprecedented value."
iQstor designed the iQ5200 to meet high availability requirements by incorporating dual active/active controllers with automatic failover, 3+1 redundancy of both fans and power supplies, as well as remote management, monitoring, and notification through the internet. Each RAID controller is configured with four high performance 4Gb/s Fibre Channel ports and four iSCSI Gigabit Ethernet ports with hardware TCP/IP Offload Engines (TOE) and also offers four 4-lane 3Gb/s SAS ports for easy capacity expansion with iQstor's J5200 SBOD disk enclosure. The advanced architecture of the iQ5200 features a front load design that offers easy access to drives regardless of its placement in a cabinet.
"We expect data growth to continue despite the current global economic climate," said Brian Babineau, Senior Analyst with Enterprise Strategy Group, a leading IT analyst and consulting firm. "All the current conditions mean is that companies must find a way to cost effectively store all of their information. The iQ5200 is ideal for this type of challenge as customers can save more data in less physical footprint, reducing overall data center expenses."
This new array provides a reliable, affordable and easy to manage storage platform for consolidating tiered business data and applications such as email, databases, file services and virtual server environments. It can also be deployed as an ideal target for capacity-intensive application such as near-line storage, disk-based backup, security and surveillance, virtual tape libraries, digital archiving and disaster recovery sites.
Pricing and Availability
The iQ5200 storage system with 52TB SATA capacity will have an estimated end-user U.S. price starting at $34,995 and will be available in Q1 of 2009 through iQstor's network of domestic and international channel partners.
About iQstor Networks, Inc.
A privately held company based in Newbury Park, CA, iQstor is a leader in the innovative design and delivery of storage solutions with embedded enterprise level functionality to channel partners worldwide. Its storage solutions include FC, iSCSI and SATA intelligent storage systems and expansion enclosures, policy based storage management, data protection software, professional services, support and training. For more information on iQstor, visit the company's web site at www.iqstor.com.
Telecom's internet rivals say they now have incentives to invest in broadband infrastructure after the Commerce Commission issued a lower-than-expected price for them to use Telecom's copper wire network.
In a draft document, the Commerce Commission yesterday put the price of accessing the local loop at $16.49 a customer a month for urban areas and $32.20 for rural areas.
This is what rival telcos will pay to use the Telecom copper network which runs from local telephone exchange to homes and businesses.
In his first ruling, newly appointed Telecommunications Commissioner Ross Patterson surprised observers by setting different prices for rural and urban networks.
This has resulted in lower-than-expected urban prices.
Urban pricing will cover about 70 per cent of New Zealand's population.
Telecommunications analyst Darian Bird of IDC said that although the price was lower than expected, it was not aggressive enough to upset Telecom.
"There are still a lot of details to look at, as there are plenty of hidden costs not covered in the $16.49 a month that Telecom will pass on to access-seekers," he said.
Ihug chief executive Mark Rushworth said the draft price for urban access was "at the right end of the scale" and would help the company decide where it would build networks, instead of continuing to buy wholesale broadband from Telecom.
"The key message the Commerce Commission is sending is that it wants network-based investment to be the driver of competition," he said.
"If they stick around $16.50, there is a business case for urban deployment of network infrastructure."
The draft ruling comes a little over a year after the Government said it would end Telecom's monopoly over its copper wire network, causing the company's share price to plunge. A final decision is expected in December.
Telecom would not comment on the draft determination, saying it was focused on its annual result, due on Friday.
Telecom's share price closed yesterday down 11c at $4.54.
Orcon chief executive Scott Bartlett said the draft price was at the higher end of the company's expectations of between $12 and $17, but he was cautiously optimistic.
"At that price, it certainly enables us to go out and invest heavily in the urban areas for broadband," he said.
He said Orcon planned to invest well over $200 million and had spent $1.5 million on equipment for testing local loop unbundling.
"I can go to our board and our shareholders and say, 'This is an investment that makes sense'.
"That's enough certainty for us to move into the next phase and that obviously means spending more money."
CallPlus' chief executive Martin Wylie said the use of different prices for rural and urban access gave the company an investment case for offering WiMAX wireless broadband to rural customers.
CallPlus has a $3 million WiMAX network operating in Whangarei and plans to develop a nationwide WiMAX phone and internet network.
TelstraClear regulatory and industry adviser Wendy Dodd said the Commerce Commission announcement was largely positive for the company.
It was the first draft decision since the law was changed in December, and TelstraClear saw it as the first step towards being able to introduce in other parts of New Zealand the services the company had on its own network in Wellington and Christchurch.
Telecommunications Users Association head Ernie Newman was surprised but impressed that the commission had chosen a two-tier pricing system.
"I think the way that they have cut the cake up into two will be very positive for early adoption because local loop unbundling was always going to be started in the metropolitan areas anyway and this adds significant incentives to that," he said.
Newman said the issue of improving speeds for hard-to-reach rural users was a political one, and was being developed by the Ministry of Economic Development into the Rural Broadband Strategy.
"Rural people will be no worse off than they are at the moment," he said, "and their lifeline is coming through that Government inquiry."
Byline: Kelly Mills
May 29, 2006 (The Australian - ABIX via COMTEX) -- Australian bank St George is continuing its gradual implementation of internet telephony technology. It was at the forefront of what has become a major trend among its competitors, but chose to run several smaller trials to make sure the systems worked as expected. Supplier Avaya has been involved in a test run with 100 handsets across three sites in Sydney, and another will be conducted in mid-2006, with the total number of seats eventually rising to 2,500. A major consideration has been the step-by-step upgrading of its existing Nortel telephone network, which is why it chose to source equipment from Avaya rather than Cisco, and spend $A4m on making the old system ready for the switch.
Publication Date: 30 May 2006
ST GEORGE BANK LIMITED - ASX SGB AVAYA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD AVAYA INCORPORATED NORTHERN TELECOM LIMITED NORTEL AUSTRALIA PTY LTD CISCO SYSTEMS INCORPORATED CISCO SYSTEMS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD NOKIA AUSTRALIA PTY LTD NOKIA OY AB
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Byline: Jen McCaffery
Jun. 19--Satellite television giant DirecTV has filed more than 65 lawsuits in the western part of Virginia for the alleged pirating of the company's programming and plans to file more, according to Stephen Test, an attorney for the company.
DirecTV has filed more than 24,000 lawsuits against people the company says have acquired and in some cases distributed devices to unscramble DirecTV's satellite television signals so they can get free programming, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group in California.
Though a fair amount of the lawsuits around the country and in Virginia have been settled or dismissed, the penalties can be high in the cases that remain.
A handful of people have been prosecuted in Western Virginia for manufacturing descrambling devices, said David Burch, resident agent in charge of the Roanoke office of the FBI. The most recent prosecution was against a Patrick County man in 2001, Burch said.
And in what is believed to be one of the harshest judgments against a defendant in one of these cases, a federal judge this month ordered Tolbert Adkins of Buchanan County to pay $2.05 million for distributing 205 devices that could have been used to unscramble satellite signals.
Adkins, 49, said when he was reached for comment that he never saw a descrambling device until he was sued and saw one in his lawyer's office.
"I guess they just got my name somewhere," said Adkins. "I never ordered them. I reckon somebody else's credit card paid for them." He added that he isn't even a DirecTV customer, that he uses Dish Network, and said he pays for all of that service.
Similar in some ways to the recording industry's lawsuits against people for downloading or sharing music files in violation of copyright law, DirecTV's systematic campaign to protect its programming, which it says in court documents is worth billions, has also angered some of its customers and raised questions among some civil libertarians.
Some have turned the tables on the company. DirecTV now faces four class-action lawsuits and at least six other cases for malicious prosecution, according to California attorney Jeffrey Wilens, who is working on some of the cases.
"My thoughts are that DirecTV is losing the war because its fundamental premise, that everyone who buys a particular class of devices is a thief and should pay money to DirecTV," according to Wilens. DirecTV spokesman Robert Mercer did not return calls for comment.
At the center of the dispute is what is known as "smart-card technology" -- devices such as bootloaders, unloopers, emulators and reprogrammers -- that can be used to illegally intercept and descramble satellite signals for programming that people have not paid for. But some argue smart-card technology also can be used for completely legitimate purposes.
"Computer researchers, network administrators, engineers, and others are using smart-card technology in ways that are perfectly legal, yet DirecTV would have the courts adopt a theory of guilt by purchase," said Jason Schultz, a staff attorney for the Electronic Frontier Foundation in a press release. Smart-card technology is used in some credit cards, parking garages, and in some security cards, Schultz said.
Schultz also argued that in cases such as Tolbert Adkins', judges' and juries' "hands are tied," because Congress has set high penalties that do not correspond to the actual harm of the alleged offense.
Schultz described the penalties as "totally unrelated to the harm you do. It is totally unfair and quite out of proportion" when in many cases the defendant should really only owe DirecTV the equivalent of a few dozen dollars, he said.
Federal judge James Jones ruled earlier this month that Adkins should pay $2.05 million for the 205 "bootloaders" DirecTV says he bought from an Arizona Internet retailer. Adkins did not deny that he distributed the devices, according to the opinion.
But Jones said in the opinion that he agreed with defense attorneys' argument that the amount he ordered Adkins and three other defendants in the case to pay would "almost certainly bring financial ruin to most individuals living in Southwest Virginia," according to the opinion.
He added that he was constrained by federal law, which is written so that the distributors of illegal descrambling devices are punished more harshly than the people they distribute the devices to, according to the opinion.
Federal law says that people should be fined $10,000 for each time they intercept or steal satellite signals, Test said. The law also says they should pay $100,000 for each time they distribute a descrambling device, according to Best.
Jones also ordered the other defendants in the case to pay $820,000; $200,000; and $150,000, according to the opinion.
DirecTV argued that Adkins and the other defendants, Darrell Coleman, Elwood Dykes and Rex Rife, each bought illegal descrambling devices from Mountain Electronics, an Internet retailer in Arizona. Adkins said he doesn't know the other defendants.
DirecTV began its crackdown in 2001. Through legal action, the company successfully sued manufacturers and distributors of smart-card technology and shut them down, said Test, whose Virginia Beach law firm, Williams and Mullen, is representing DirectTV in all the federal lawsuits in Virginia and West Virginia. Through that process, DirecTV obtained records about people who had ordered the technology from the companies.
DirecTV then sent out more than 170,000 demand letters to customers from information it got from the manufacturers and distributors, requesting $3,500 in payment for the pirated programming, Schultz said.
Fifty-five defendants in 33 cases filed in the Western District of Virginia -- several of them filed in the Roanoke area -- have already settled, Test said.
For a defendant who bought only one device, settlements have generally ranged from $4,000 to $7,000, according to Test.
But Test acknowledged that sometimes DirecTV pegged the wrong target and lawsuits get dismissed.
"Sometimes we have the wrong person, sometimes an adult child ordered something using a parent's credit card or computer," Test said. Other defendants have moved, can't be found, are poor or bankrupt, or have died, Test said.
"There are many different reasons," for DirecTV to drop cases, according to Test. "DirecTV is not interested in suing innocent people."
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