IPv6 (Internet protocol version 6) is the next upgrade to the Internet protocol IPv4, the more typical form of IP networking that we think of today. (IPv4, for example, uses four values for an IP address, such as 10.12.210.67). IPv6 is designed to provide a much greater number of available addresses for networked devices, enough […]

IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) is an evolving architecture designed to create standardized, simple, and scalable networks for deploying rich multimedia applications. The ultimate goal of the architecture is to define a model that separates the services offered by fixed-line (traditional telcos), mobile (traditional cellular), and converged service providers (cable companies and others who provide triple-play […]

An interworking function (IWF) acts a gateway to enable 2G and 3G network elements to connect and communicate with 4G LTE network elements, such as between MAP-based and Diameter-based interfaces. This connection is essential; without it, communications service providers (CSPs) would have to totally replace their legacy infrastructure and systems while building out their LTE […]

Extranet access control refers to the ability to permit or deny access to corporate assets on an internal network, for use by non-employees (e.g. suppliers or customers) outside the network.

File server consolidation is the process of replacing a collection of file servers with a smaller number of higher-capacity storage devices — sometimes Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, in which case the process is often called NAS consolidation. This process has significant cost and management benefits.

The name GET flood is used for two different kinds of attacks using the same request. The attacker can either request static URLs at a high rate, or simply ask for every single object on a website, one after the other.

A global namespace is a federation of file systems from any number of file storage devices, such as servers using NFS (network file system), CIFS (common Internet file system), NAS (network-attached storage), or file servers. A global namespace is an important mechanism for managing distributed file storage, allowing access to file data regardless of physical location.

A common algorithm is used for the dictionary tables of all the major web service platforms (Java, ASP.NET, and Apache). In late 2011 a clever attack was released that took advantage of the ubiquity of this hashing algorithm. By sending a single POST message filled with thousands of variables, the hashing function would overload and […]

An ICMP request requires the server to process the request and respond, so it takes CPU resources. Attacks on the ICMP protocol, including smurf attacks, ICMP floods, and ping floods take advantage of this by inundating the server with ICMP requests without waiting for the response. This attack seeks to overwhelm the server’s ability to […]

Endpoint security is a strategy for ensuring that a client device does not present a security risk before it is granted a remote-access connection to the network.