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Re: iPhone and Network Disruptions ...
- From: Prof. Robert Mathews (OSIA)
- Date: Sun Jul 22 22:14:02 2007
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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