Nortel Networks Corp. recently announced three new models of their Alteon Switched Firewall system: the Alteon Switched Firewall 5710, 5408 and 5100. They are available from Nortel and are being marketed to customers ranging from service providers down to small and medium-size companies. The new models, which use Check Point’s FireWall-1 Next Generation software, are intended to offer flexible security options to customers with a wide range of users, bandwidth and security needs. The Alteon Switched Firewall 5710 is being marketed to large enterprises and service providers and offers more than 4G bps (bits per second) of throughput.
GMPLS on display
At press time, the MPLS Forum was planning to stage a first: a public multi-vendor Generalized Multi-Protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) interoperability demonstration. GMPLS is a set of network protocols that provides a control plane for devices that switch in packet, wavelength, time-division multiplexing and fibre networks. The event, at the Next Generation Networks conference in Boston, was to be a “proof of concept” demo involving seven companies. They were to attempt to demonstrate the ease and speed of bandwidth and service provisioning facilitated by GMPLS among their respective products. MPLS Forum officials say GMPLS is still two years away from a larger, “ready to generate revenue” demonstration.
SSL appliance debuts
Aventail Corp. is introducing a Secure Sockets Layer remote-access appliance that gives customers the option to manage their SSL-based gear or outsource to Aventail. The company is adding EX-1500, an appliance that customers can buy, install and manage themselves, without relying on Aventail to run the gear day to day. The company already offers a blend of services and managed equipment, but this addition is directed at users who want to maintain control of their remote-access networks, Aventail says. EX-1500 will be available in the first quarter of 2003, and the price ranges from US$20,000 to US$60,000.
