Showing posts with label Networking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Networking. Show all posts
EU fines Intel $1.45 billion for sales tactics
Jul 14, 2009
BRUSSELS -
READ MORE - EU fines Intel $1.45 billion for sales tactics
The European Union fined Intel Corp. a record euro1.06 billion ($1.45 billion) on Wednesday, saying the world's biggest computer chip maker used illegal sales tactics to shut out smaller rival AMD.
The fine exceeded a euro899 million monopoly abuse penalty for Microsoft Corp. last year. Intel called the decision "wrong" and said it would appeal.
Intel, based in Santa Clara, California, has about 80 percent of the world's personal computer microprocessor market — and faces just one real rival, Advanced Micro Devices Inc.
The European Commission says Intel broke EU competition law by exploiting its dominant position with a deliberate strategy to keep AMD out of the market that limited customer choice.
It said Intel gave rebates to computer manufacturers Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo and NEC for buying all or almost all their x86 computer processing units, or CPUs, from Intel and paid them to stop or delay the launch of computers based on AMD chips.
Intel president and CEO Paul Otellini said the company would appeal to the EU courts because "the decision is wrong" and "there has been absolutely zero harm to consumers." The company promised to comply with the EU order but criticized it as extremely ambiguous.
AMD's Europe president Giuliano Meroni said the EU order "will shift the power from an abusive monopolist to computer makers, retailers and above all PC consumers."
Regulators said the company also paid Germany's biggest electronics retailer, Media Saturn Holding — which owns the MediaMarkt superstores — from 2002 to 2007 to only stock Intel-based computers.
This meant workers at AMD's biggest European plant in Dresden, Germany, could not buy AMD-based personal computers at their city's main PC store.
"Intel has harmed millions of European consumers by deliberately acting to keep competitors out of the market for computer chips for many years," said EU Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes. "Such a serious and sustained violation of the EU's antitrust rules cannot be tolerated."
Kroes joked that Intel would now have to change its latest global ad campaign — "sponsors of tomorrow" — to proclaiming "the sponsor of the European taxpayer."
"I can give my vision of tomorrow for Intel here and now: Abide by the law," she added.
EU regulators said they calculated Intel's fine on the value of its European chip sales over the five years and three months that it broke the law. Europeans buy some 30 percent of the euro22 billion ($30 billion) in computer chips sold every year.
They could have gone even higher as EU antitrust rules allow them to levy a fine of up to 10 percent of a company's annual global turnover for each year of bad behavior. Intel's worldwide turnover was euro27.9 billion ($38.8 billion) in 2007.
European consumers group BEUC welcomed the fine and said Intel should be held to account to consumers through civil suits in European courts. So far these are rare but the EU is urging victims of antitrust action to seek damages.
"Intel should be liable to compensate the victims of its illegal practices," said Monique Goyens, head of the group. "Consumers have been paying too much for their computers and they should be compensated."
The manufacturer rebates started in 2002, the EU said, with most ending in 2005 — apart from a 2007 deal for one unidentified company to only source notebook computer chips from Intel.
Regulators said rebates that give discounts for large orders are illegal when a monopoly company makes them conditional on buying less of a rival's products or not buying them at all.
Manufacturers depend on Intel to supply most of the chips they need and faced higher costs if they lost most or all of a rebate by choosing AMD chips for even a small order.
Hewlett-Packard buys a fifth of Intel chips with Dell taking 18 percent, according to market research from Hoovers.
The discounts were so steep that only a rival that sold chips for less than they cost to make would have any chance of grabbing customers, the EU executive said.
It said AMD offered 1 million free chips to one manufacturer — which could not accept because that would lose it a rebate on many millions of other chips. It only took 160,000 free chips in the end, regulators said.
Intel's payments to manufacturers ordered the company to delay the European launch of AMD's first business desktop by six months. They were also paid to only sell the AMD line to small and medium companies and to only offer them directly to customers instead of to retailers.
Other manufacturers were paid to postpone the launch of AMD-based notebooks by several months, from September 2003 to January 2004 and from September 2006 to the end of 2006 — missing the key Christmas market.
The European Commission said Intel tried to conceal the conditions attached to these payments and details only emerged from e-mails that regulators seized in surprise raids on the companies.
Regulators refused to rule out returning to other parts of their probe where they had investigated Intel's behavior in the server market and allegations of below-cost pricing designed to hurt AMD. Intel strongly denies these charges.
The EU charges also cover a time when AMD managed to take market share from Intel by launching higher performance microprocessors for servers in 2003, previously an Intel stronghold.
Intel fought back successfully by rolling out Core chips. More recently, it has grabbed more market share with Atom chips for netbooks.
EU regulators are not the only ones chasing Intel — South Korea fined the company $21 million last year.
And the U.S. may be stepping up action. The Federal Trade Commission upgraded a probe into Intel last year — and as the Obama administration is set to take a more aggressive approach against monopoly abuse by reversing a strict interpretation of antitrust law that saw regulators shun such cases.more
Welcome the Samsung Jack™ to Samsung’s Smartphone Portfolio
May 14, 2009
Welcome the Samsung Jack™ to Samsung’s Smartphone Portfolio
The BlackJack series has been the number one selling franchise in Windows Mobile history and the Jack is the next generation Windows Mobile 6.1 smartphone. Available exclusively to AT&T customers in the U.S and powered by the nation’s fastest 3G network, this sleek and compact handset features an optimized keyboard for easy and accurate messaging, including SMS, instant messaging and access to multiple e-mail accounts.
Microsoft Office Outlook Mobile on the Jack keeps enterprise and small business customers connected with synchronization of schedules and contacts, Internet Explorer Mobile provides improved quick and easy Web browsing and Office Mobile enhances productivity with the ability to manage Word, Excel and PowerPoint documents. The Jack will also be upgradable to Windows Mobile 6.5.
Additional key features of the Jack include 256 MB RAM, a 3.2 megapixel camera with video-capture capabilities, Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) to connect with home or office networks, and built-in aGPS for use with AT&T Navigator, AT&T Navigator Global Edition and other GPS-based applications for personal and business use.
source
Sony posts $1b loss, first in 14 years
by Nilay Patel,
source : engadget.com/
Limiting EXEC Interruptions
Apr 26, 2009
If the router has a message for you, it will display the message, even if that means interrupting something you were typing. Then you’re stuck having to finish your command at the end of the router’s message. The command logging synchronous under the console line configuration mode corrects this. The router still displays its message but will redisplay the command you were typing on the line when it’s done. To turn off logging messages to the console altogether, give the command no logging console under global configuration mode. Note: This may cause you to miss some important messages from the router. You can modify this command by specifying the severity level of the message you want to turn off.
Example:
Router(config)#^Z
Router#clo
00:07:31: %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by console
% Incomplete command.
Router(config)#line con 0
Router(config-line)#logging synchronous
Router(config-line)#^Z
Router#clo
00:08:39: %SYS-5-CONFIG_I: Configured from console by console
Router#clo ! router retyped this
How are ethernet Cat5E Cable and Cat6 cable different?
Apr 15, 2009
- As
streaming media applications such as video and multi-media become common, the demands for faster data rates will increase and create new applications that will benefit from the higherbandwidth offered by category 6. - Difference between category 5e and category 6 is in the
transmission performance, and extension of the allowed bandwidth from 100 MHz for category 5e to 200 MHz for category 6. - Cat6 gives better
insertion loss, near end crosstalk (NEXT), return loss, and equal level far end crosstalk (ELFEXT). - Because of its greater transmission performance and better immunity from external noise, systems operating over 6 cabling will have fewer errors vs. category 5e for current applications.
How to Upgrade Cisco Router IOS (Video)
Mar 29, 2009
Cisco IOS (originally Internetwork Operating System) is the software used on the Cisco Systems routers and all current Cisco network switches.
IOS is a package of routing, switching, internetworking and telecommunications functions tightly integrated with a multitasking operating system.
WiMAX Technology
Mar 18, 2009
WiMAX is the next-generation of wireless technology designed to enable pervasive, high-speed mobile Internet access to the widest array of devices including notebook PCs, handsets, smartphones, and consumer electronics such as gaming devices, cameras, camcorders, music players, and more. As the fourth generation (4G) of wireless technology, WiMAX delivers low-cost, open networks and is the first all IP mobile Internet solution enabling efficient and scalable networks for data, video, and voice. As a major driver in the support and development of WiMAX, Intel has designed embedded WiMAX solutions for a variety of mobile devices supporting the future of high-speed broadband on-the-go.
What is Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) Stub Routing
Mar 14, 2009
A stub router is one that is connected to no more than two neighbors and should never be a transit router.The Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) Stub Routing provides
- improves network stability,
- reduces resource utilization,
- and simplifies stub router configuration.
- The stub router has one exit path from the routing domain and forwards all traffic to a central or distribution router.
- eigrp stub [receive-only|connected|static|summary]
- receive-only— This causes the router to not send any routes.
- connected— The router advertises all connected routes to the single neighbor. No redistribution is necessary.
- static— The router advertises all static routes to a single neighbor. The static routes still need to be redistributed into EIGRP to be advertised.
- summary— The router advertises summary routes.
Simple Network Management Protocol
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is used in network management systems to monitor network-attached devices for conditions that warrant administrative attention.
A managed device can be any piece of equipment that sits on your data network and is SNMP compliant. Routers, switches, hubs, workstations, and printers are all examples of managed devices.
An agent is typically software that resides on a managed device. The agent collects data from the managed device and translates that information into a format that can be passed over the network using SNMP.
A network-management system monitors and controls managed devices. The networkmanagement system issues requests, and devices return responses.
System Cache Types
Mar 5, 2009
A CPU cache is a cache used by the central processing unit of a computer to reduce the average time to access memory. The cache is a smaller, faster memory which stores copies of the data from the most frequently used main memory locations.
Level 1 cache actually resides in the processor core and runs at the processor speed, very fast compared to the other RAM. Due to physical space constraints the size of this cache is small.Used for temporary storage of instructions and data organized in blocks of 32 bytes.Primary cache is the fastest form of storage. Because it’s built in to the chip with a zero wait-state (delay) interface to the processor’s execution unit, it is limited in size.
Level 2 cache rests outside the CPU core and before the DRAM. This cache will typically run at speeds below the processor speed, but it still faster then the DRAM and is far larger then L1 cache.The aim of the Level 2 cache is to supply stored information to the processor without any delay
Difference Between Category 6 cable & Category 5e cable
Feb 27, 2009
- Category-6 cable, commonly referred to as Cat-6, is a cable standard for Gigabit Ethernet and other network protocols that is backward compatible with the Category 5/5e and Category 3 cable standards.
- Cat-6 give good control over crosstalk and system noise.
- Cat-6 cable standard provides performance of up to 250 MHz and is suitable for 10BASE-T / 100BASE-TX and 1000BASE-T (Gigabit Ethernet)
- Cat-6 is normally terminated in 8P8C modular connectors, often incorrectly referred to as “RJ-45″ electrical connectors.
- CAT-6 cable contains four pairs of copper wire and unlike CAT5, utilizes all four pairs.
- Cat-6 can support 10 Gbit/s applications (especially 10GBaseT) up to a maximum distance of 100 meters.
- Twisted pair cable like CAT6 comes in two main varieties, solid and stranded. Solid CAT6 cable supports longer runs and works best in fixed wiring configurations like office buildings. Stranded CAT6 cable, on the other hand, is more pliable and better suited for shorter-distance, movable cabling such as “patch” cables.
- Cat-5e cable is an enhanced version of Cat 5 that adds specifications for far end crosstalk.
- Cat-5e cables are still limited to a maximum of 100 m (328 ft) in length (normal practice is to limit fixed (”horizontal”) cables to 90 m to allow for up to 5 m of patch cable at each end, this comes to a total of the previous mentioned 100m maximum).
- Although CAT5 cable usually contains four pairs of copper wire, Fast Ethernet communications only utilize two pairs. A newer specification for CAT5 cable - CAT5 enhanced (CAT5e) - supports networking at Gigabit Ethernet[ speeds (up to 1000 Mbps) over short distances by utilizing all four wire pairs, and it is backward compatible with ordinary CAT5.
VLANs Basics
Feb 18, 2009
VLANs are broadcast domains in a Layer 2 network. Each broadcast domain is like a distinct virtual bridge within the switch. Each virtual bridge you create in a switch defines a broadcast domain. By default, traffic from one VLAN cannot pass to another VLAN. Each of the users in a VLAN is also in the same IP subnet, and each switch port can belong to only one VLAN.The three characteristics of a typical VLAN setup are:
- Each logical VLAN is like a separate physical bridge.
- VLANs can span multiple switches.
- Trunks carry traffic for multiple VLANs.
By default, each port on a switch can belong to only one VLAN. For devices that are in VLANs (that span multiple switches) to talk to other devices in the same VLAN, you must use trunking or have a dedicated port per VLAN. Trunk links allow the switch to carry multiple VLANs across a single link.
Administrative Distance
Feb 13, 2009
Advertised Distance is the distance a neighbor router says, or advertises, is the distance to a destination. This is key in electing a feasible successor or backup route. The lower the distance, the better. The lower the value the better the route is believable. These values can be changed with the distance command.
Administrative Distances
Protocol Distance Value
Connected Interface 0
Static routes 1
EIGRP Summary routes 5
EBGP 20
Internal EIGRP 90
IGRP 100
OSPF 110
RIP 120
EGP 140
External EIGRP 170
Internal BGP 200
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