[svlug] Cisco to use NT in its routers.

[Rick Moen]

Adding back the SVLUG list to distribution (which somebody seems to
have dropped without informing recipients).

Quoting Rafael Skodlar (raffi at kset.com):

> I did not say that CISCO is doing this or that.  All I wanted to say 
> is that if it happens that way, then God help us.   That's all.

For the benefit of those who're unfamiliar with the subject, we
should clarify that a Cisco router having any significant routing 
functions delegated to "Embedded NT" would be by definition brain-damaged.
This is not just generic anybody-but-Microsoft rhetoric:  It really
would be an extreme absurdity.

> That still doesn't mean they will not do what the market (MS) is asking
> for. If the only option is NT then that's what they'll do and we'll all
> lose.

Let's examine what the article, quoting John McConnell, president of 
McConnell Consulting (who?) of Boulder, Colorado -- speaking for no 
one but himself -- hypothesised as a role for "embedded NT" in a 
theoretical future Cisco router:

"Policy management, policy enforcement, and directory applications":
The "policies" in question concern NT/9x registry management for a
Microsoft workgroup/domain/whatever.  The "directories" presumably
would be Microsoft's vapourware Active Directory in NT 5.0.

It's unclear that Cisco would even _want_ to enter that particular 
pseudo-standard-driven market.  The issues begin with stability and
licencing fees, proceed through the problem of pursuing a moving
target, and go on from there.

"'Embedded NT could handle lots of stuff that will be coming up with CIM
(Common Information Model) and XML'....  CIM, under development by the 
Desktop Management Task Force, is designed to take advantage of 
object-based management tools for a common method of sharing management 
information throughout an enterprise."

In case you're wondering (Who?  What?), you can slake your thirst for
knowledge about DMTF and CIM at http://www.dmtf.org/.  I swear, I've
never seen such an amazing display of bafflegab in my life.

CIM (from DMTF) purports to be an everything-to-everyone method for
storing and conveying "management" information about desktop PCs,
servers, networks, WANs, the Internet, etc., incorporating SNMP,
CORBA, XML, and other _real_ standards.  DMTP is Yet Another Industry 
Alliance, tra la.

"As the relationship between networks and applications grows tighter, 
the router can no longer be an island of proprietary code, according 
to observers."

Sounds deep, eh?  I wonder what it means.  

(_Embedded NT_ would be one such alternative to "proprietary code"?)

"Eventually, NT could form the basis of future routers for the Internet 
core, where Cisco's routers dominate today, McConnell said.  'I could 
see a multiprocessor NT system in there for higher performance
and higher fault tolerance,' McConnell said." 

You saw it here, first, folks:  "performance", "fault tolerance", 
and "NT" in the same sentence!

Moreover, Cisco IOS is going to _gain_ the former two through option
cards running Embedded NT, according to John McConnell.

That's some bad crack they sell in Boulder, Colorado, isn't it?

"...adoption of Embedded NT will help Cisco head off competition....
[Berkeley Networks's] ExponeNT routing switches run NT in their central 
processor and carry out real-time processes on a set of dedicated chips."

Oooh!  Fore Systems and its "Networks of Steel[TM]", http://www.fore.com/.
If you need an expansion supply of bafflegab, there ya go.  If I need
routers and switches, I'll go elsewhere, thank you.

"Embedded NT could also help Cisco integrate its devices into a Web-based
enterprise management environment, allowing the company to quickly add 
Web servers to devices, and to take advantage of a lot of management 
tools, analysts said." 

Could somebody translate what these "analysts said" into English?  

No?  Thought not.
    
"One IT manager said a router with more integrated elements could 
eliminate the need for separate servers." 

It's Ronco Route-O-Matic!  It slices!  It dices!  It does Application
Aware[TM] Intelligent Infrastructure[TM].

"'There are things that are not available in the IOS platform, such as 
DHCP [Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol], WINS [Windows Internet 
Naming Service], and DNS name resolution,' said David Brown, IS 
manager at The New York Times."

I was going to say that Brown should keep his day job, until I realised
that that _is_ his day job.  Poor bastard.

> The magazine is well known.

Indeed (notwithstanding the fact that this was _not_ in InfoWorld, but
rather just filler on its Web site).  However:

"Stephen Lawson (stephen_lawson at infoworld.com) is an InfoWorld senior 
writer."

Methinks Mr. Lawson sensed a slow news day coming on, and so inflated
a dumb-ass press release from Mr. McConnell into a full-length "news story"
by getting reactions from a few of his pet commentators.

None of this should be confused with technology news.  It's garbage:
Ignore it.
 
-- 
Cheers,                                  DISCLAIMER:  I didn't do it.    
Rick Moen                                You can't prove it.  Nobody
rick (at) hugin.imat.com                 saw me.  The sheep are lying.

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