Blue Coat looks to streamline WAN optimization rollouts.Byline: jeevan@cpidubai.com (Staff) Blue Coat Systems is aiming for instant gratification with a new configuration wizard designed to help IT professionals get their ProxySG appliances up and running quickly. <p>The streamlined setup executes a baseline WAN optimization WAN optimization products seek to accelerate a broad range of applications accessed by distributed enterprise users via eliminating redundant transmissions, staging data in local caches, compressing and prioritizing data, and streamlining chatty protocols (e.g., CIFS).. configuration, including the ability to accelerate remote file access (utilizing CIFS (Common Internet File System) The file sharing protocol used in Windows. It evolved out of the SMB (Server Message Block) protocol in DOS, which is why the terms CIFS/SMB and SMB/CIFS are sometimes seen. The word "Internet" in the CIFS name has little relevance. ), e-mail and Web-based applications. <p>The wizard enables setup in less than a minute, says Carrie Oakes, vice president of product management at Blue Coat. "You can actually get it configured in a minute, and you can go to the console and see the ROI (Return On Investment) The monetary benefits derived from having spent money on developing or revising a system. In the IT world, there are more ways to compute ROI than Carter has liver pills (and for those of you who never heard of that expression, it means a lot). of the acceleration that's going on," Oakes says. <p>After the initial setup, customers can use the management console A terminal or workstation used to monitor and control a network. See Microsoft Management Console. to configure more complex features, such as SSL acceleration SSL acceleration is a method of offloading the processor-intensive public key encryption algorithms involved in SSL transactions to a hardware accelerator. Typically, this is a separate card that plugs into a PCI slot in a computer that contains one or more co-processors able to , she says. <p>"Eighty percent of the people are turning on the appliances for acceleration of file shares and TCP (1) (Transmission Control Protocol) The reliable transport protocol within the TCP/IP protocol suite. TCP ensures that all data arrive accurately and 100% intact at the other end. applications," Oakes says, and the configuration wizard is geared for those deployments. Blue Coat's goal is to start incorporating workflows for more complex functions, such as SSL acceleration, down the road. "As new releases come out, the box is going to get easier and easier to configure." <p>In addition to the configuration wizard, Blue Coat added other automation features. The devices can auto-detect networking parameters, including network topology variables such as interface speeds and Layer 2 media access control (MAC) issues. The ProxySG appliances also can automatically locate peers in the data center or headquarters. <p>"We went out and visited a bunch of customers and watched what they were doing during the initial setup, then we focused on a bunch of the things that were causing them problems," Oakes says. The wizard can validate that something labeled a DNS server really is a DNS server, for instance. <p>The configuration wizard is included in version 5.4 of Blue Coat's SGOS operating software for its ProxySG appliance family. It's also available as a free upgrade for customers with service contracts. <p>Copyright 2009 IDG IDG International Data Group IDG Integrated Drive Generator IDG Installation Design Guide IDG Internet Discussion Group IDG Inset Dielectric Guide IDG International Dangerous Goods (mail, shipping) Middle East. All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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