Year in review: Networking gets secure

Security was all the rage in networking in 2004.

Juniper Networks got the ball rolling in February with the $4 billion acquisition of NetScreen Technologies, which specialized in virtual private network and firewall technology.

In July, Microsoft and Cisco Systems began butting heads on security. Each announced plans to develop a comprehensive security architecture that would not only scan for viruses but also police networks to deny connections to machines that don't conform with security policies.

Cisco had introduced Network Admission Control (NAC) in 2003, but began delivering the first element of the architecture in its routers in early summer. Then in July, Microsoft launched its architecture, Network Access Protection (NAP). Initially, the two solutions weren't interoperable. By October, the two said they would team up to make sure their solutions were interoperable. More announcements are expected on this in 2005.

Juniper's acquisition of NetScreen expanded the company's business into the enterprise market for the first time, putting it in even closer competition with Cisco. During the summer, both companies launched new routers for the enterprise, each claiming to pack more security features.

Things also heated up in the core IP router market. In May, Cisco announced its next-generation router, the CRS-1, which uses new software. Juniper, which has been shipping its next-generation core router for more than two years, had taken advantage of its head start and gained significant market share over the past year.

The networking industry was also full of new technology advancements in 2004. In February, a standard was adopted to run 10gbps over copper cable. Prices fell dramatically on new 10-gigabit-per-second interfaces. As a result, the technology is starting to move from the academic and research communities to mainstream corporate networks. Ethernet also hit its stride among telephone operators and Internet service providers, which are now using it to provide broadband services to corporate customers in cities.

In March, Moonv6, the network used to test the Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6), completed its second phase. Since then, the virtual network has been open to companies and researchers who want to continue testing IPv6 applications. Researchers demonstrated voice transmission over the protocol in November using the Moonv6 network. While IPv6 is already being used in production networks in parts of Asia, full deployment in the United States is still years away.

Internet2, the research IP network developed by a consortium of universities and technology companies in 1996, finished upgrading its links to 10gbps. The network known as Abilene continues to serve universities and secondary schools all over the country.

Universities also banded together in 2004 to build the first research-based nationwide fiber network, National LambdaRail. The consortium, which consists of Internet2 and several universities and research groups, owns the fiber and plans to use the network to conduct experiments that require very high bandwidth. They also plan to conduct experiments on the network itself.

--Marguerite Reardon