Odyssey Client v2.0. (Database and Network News & Products).

Odyssey Client v2.0, the new release of the secure 802.1x access also supports wired 802.1x connections, permitting user-based authentication to wired LANS, plus use of a single 802.1x client for secure access on wireless and wired networks. New features in Odyssey Client v2.0 which significantly minimize deployment and ongoing support costs associated with setting up secure WLAN and wired access include:

* Pre-configuration tools to allow a network manager to roll out WLAN security and connection settings to all clients, with no user involvement required. This permits the fastest deployment possible--across all platforms, including Windows XP/2000198/Me--with virtually no requirement for end user installation support or training.

* Auto-scan network lists allow user's to move between networks--which may have different security settings (such as the office network and a hotspot network). Users are automatically put on the priority network with the strongest signal when they start their PCs. This advanced capability eliminates user confusion, and the resulting downtime and support calls.

* Sophisticated and flexible network logon capabilities--via GINA, machine connection, and others--to enable:

* Simplified connection from new, wireless-only devices ~ to eliminate support calls associated with not being able to connect from devices which have never logged in to a domain controller.

* Automatic running of login scripts--so wireless devices can be centrally administered by IT staff in the same way wired devices commonly are.

* The use of a shared wireless device by several different users--for example on a factory floor or at a nurse's station--with each user being able to log in and access his network profile.

* Easy access to the wireless device by network managers when a user is not logged in--to silently perform such tasks as machine back-ups, virus scan updates, and the like, during off-hours.

* One-time deployment of 802.1x wireless and wired access--reducing the cost of having to deploy both functions separately; a single user interface to accomplish either type of access significantly reduces costs associated with user training.

Single Client for Wired and Wireless 802.1x Access

Also new in Odyssey Client Y2.0 is support for wired 802.1x access. Access control to wired LANs based on 802.1x is increasingly being adopted by enterprises, for the enhanced security, lower IT costs, and user-based network access it provides. Odyssey Client v2.0 is particularly well-suited to a wired 802.1x environment because it:

* Supports multiple EAP types, including EAP-TTLS, which allows users to be authenticated against any back-end database, including Windows, LDAP, token systems such as RSA Security's ACE/Server, and SQL. Other wired 802.1x access clients may only be able to authenticate against Windows.

* Offers integrated wired and WLAN access which can be easily and cost-effectively installed enterprise-wide, with the full deployment and usability benefits outlined above.

* Can manage multiple network adapter cards simultaneously--Users won't have to change their configuration settings as they move, for example, from a wired office connection to a wireless conference room connection, ensuring a simpler experience. Odyssey Client v2.0 is compatible with 802.1x-compliant switches from 3Com, Alcatel, Cisco, Enterasys, Juniper, and others. These switches communicate with an 802.1x-compatible RADIUS server, such as Funk Software's Odyssey Server or Steel-Belted Radius, to determine if a user is allowed access to the network, and how to cdpfigure the user's connection.

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