Sean Donelan wrote:
Since neither Apple, Cisco nor Duke seems willing to say exactly what
the problem was or what they fixed; not very surprising; it was
probably a "Duh" problem unique to Duke's network.
Sean, Nanogers:
Thank you, for your responses.
Given the world of NDAs and other legal instruments, it was attempting
to understand if there were certain folks here in NANOG - that were
aware of any particular technical shortcomings, which could have caused,
or contributed to the problem. Naturally, I say this based on a
personal conjecture that NANOG members may be LESS inclined to spend
nearly $600 on a product they knew little about, in order to simply
satisfy a "coolness factor." :-)
Seriously, while I wish to not speculate, in the absence of technical
details on the situation, at least on the surface, it is troubling to me
that a mass marketed, personal, consumer device could have a potential
such as this - to disrupt an otherwise (seemingly?) stable networked
institutional environment. In a document titled: " How to Plan for
User Interest in the Apple iPhone," on 27 June 2007, Gartner had issued
a negative recommendation to organizations WRT to accommodating iPhone
use within enterprises based on their analysis of the product lacking
hooks for Outlook/Notes, and necessary security applications. Gartner
also cited Apple's commitment to focus iPhone support for individual
consumers rather than organizational users as a basis for issuing its
negative recommendation. Gartner also went on to issue another
document on 10 July 2007, titled: "iPhone First-Generation Security Is
Too Weak for Enterprises," which might be of interest (at least in an
informational sense) to some here as well.
Otherwise it would be a shame for Apple, Cisco and Duke to not let
other network operators that might have the same problem to know how
to prevent it from recurring elsewhere.
Duke CIO - Tracy Futhey's statement that "...a particular set of
conditions made the Duke wireless network experience some minor and
temporary disruptions in service," where the/ "deployment of a very
large Cisco-based wireless network that supports multiple network
protocols"/ (*) seems to have been a key issue -- is frankly MORE
confusing that illuminating. Is Duke, the only U.S. university campus,
which has deployed a "very large Cisco-based campus wireless network"
that support "multiple network protocols" ?
Besides, is the 'multiple protocol' issue a 'red herring' ? By what
novel/errand protocol could the iPhones flood the Duke University Wi-Fi
network? NOT owning an iPhone, and lacking a technical familiarity
with all of its inner workings, leaves me at a disadvantage, I am
afraid. I do happen to own a nicely featured smart-phone among other
Wi-Fi devices however, and remain well acquainted on just how 'that
device' is likely to interfaces with Wi-Fi nets. In this respect, is
the *Apple iPhone an extra-ordinary device?* I ask that question to
seek clarity into the statement made by the Duke CIO, if anyone cares to
comment.
Quite frankly, my interest is to understand the range of *"failures in
interoperability"* -- either at the device level, or at the enterprise
level.
Separately, I fail to see why no one is talking; particularly due to
the fact that this event is effecting a first of a kind product release
by Apple, and also on account of the fact that there is wide publicity
now of an existing flaw in a Cisco product. I would have thought that
transparently resolving this cryptogram would have built greater public
confidence in those companies and respective products involved.
All the best,
Robert.
--
* "Update on Duke's wireless network and Apple's iPhones" [see:
http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2007/07/cisco_apple.html Friday, July 20]
2007]
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