Phil Hochmuth

Senior Editor, Infrastructure

 

phochmuth@nww.com (508) 490-6442 Fax: (508) 490-6438

Network World, Inc. 118 Turnpike Road Southborough, MA 01772

Recent articles by Hochmuth

Open source VoIP hits the Ivy League
Jul. 17, 2007
University of Pennsylvania's 15,000-seat VoIP deployment will hum along on open-source software: SIP Express Router and Asterisk.

Six burning VoIP questions
Jul. 05, 2007
VoIP is hot. The Gartner Group predicts that by 2008, VoIP-enabled systems will account for some 97% of all systems sold. But all that heat can raise some issues. We resolve to answer some of the more pressing ...

So long, and thanks for all the penguins
Jun. 27, 2007
In my last Linux & Open Source newsletter, I'd like to thank the tens of thousands of subscribers who have read loyally over the last eight years.

Open-source network management gets put to the test
Jun. 25, 2007
Network World has an excellent review of open-source network management tools, which is a must-read for network and server administrators running free-software shops. (Reading the full article requires a registration ...

Novell still feisty as it pushes Linux alternatives to Microsoft for SMBs
Jun. 20, 2007
While Novell's partnership with Microsoft remains the subject of controversy, the NetWare-cum-Linux vendor is still pushing out Linux and open source products aimed at taking market share away from its patent-protection ...

Linspire follows Xandros with a Microsoft patent agreement deal
Jun. 18, 2007
Count Linspire as another Linux company running under Microsoft's patent protection umbrella. Linspire's deal with Microsoft comes a week after independent Linux distributor Xandros announced it had reached a similar ...

Microsoft expands Linux patent deals in expected, unexpected places
Jun. 13, 2007
Microsoft last week signed on two more companies to patent lawsuit protection deals. One deal, with LG Electronics, is the continuation of a trend among Linux-based cell phone and embedded technology manufacturers. ...

Pepper, Ubuntu Linux developers make plans to shrink
Jun. 11, 2007
With Pepper Computer and Ubuntu both pushing their respective embedded OS efforts towards Intel's Mobile Internet Device platform, it appears the market for ultra mobile PCs is taking a sharp turn towards Linux.

Cisco's Linksys One brings SMB-focused gear tied to services
Jun. 06, 2007
After more than a year-and-a-half delay, Cisco this week launched its Linksys One offering, aimed at providing small businesses with packaged routing, switching, voice, wireless and security gear tied to managed ...

Fedora 7 tips its cap to the community
Jun. 06, 2007
Fedora 7 was released last week with the ability for users to create custom-built Linux distributions based on the open source version of Red Hat's commercial Linux operating system.

UPDATE -- Avaya goes private in $8.2B deal
Jun. 05, 2007
Avaya has agreed to be bought by Silver Lake Partners and the Texas Pacific Group for $8.2 billion.

Q&A: Avaya's COO on what's next
Jun. 05, 2007
The $8.2 billion buyout of Avaya by Silver Lake Partners and the Texas Pacific Group will change how the VoIP vendor will operate and interact with customers. Avaya Chief Operating Officer Mike Thurk discussed where the ...

The Avaya sale: Tech buyouts bear risks for customers, too
Jun. 05, 2007
The sale of Avaya is just the latest in an increasing number of private-equity buyouts of technology companies that might not be good things for customers.

Avaya close to going private, reports say
Jun. 04, 2007
Avaya is close to going private in a buyout deal with Silver Lake Partners and the Texas Pacific Group for $8 billion, according to news reports.

FAQ: What Avaya going private is all about
Jun. 04, 2007
While rumors swirled that Avaya was on the block, a report this week in The New York Times says a $8 billion deal with private-equity firms Silver Lake Partners and Texas Pacific Group could happen very soon. Should the ...

LINA brings Linux apps over to Windows, Mac users
Jun. 04, 2007
Fans of cross-platform computing and the "write-once-run-anywhere" concept of applications and software will want to take a look at Lina. The open source software company plans to debut its eponymous (but note the ...

Avaya buyout speculation reflects churn in the VoIP market
May. 31, 2007
With speculation that Avaya is in play for an acquisition, things will be different for VoIP users or the overall market, analysts and observers say, no matter what happens.

Xen 3.1 brings open source virtualization to 64-bit
May. 30, 2007
A new version of the open source Xen virtualization stack was released last week, offering up improved support for 64-bit systems, improved virtual server maintenance tools, and a new API for Xen software partners to ...

Report says Avaya in talks for private-equity buyout
May. 29, 2007
A private-equity firm is reportedly seeking a buyout of Avaya, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Mailbag: Readers weigh in on the hottest Microsoft/Linux controversy yet
May. 28, 2007
I will make one prediction following the recent controversy around Microsoft's patent-violation claims against Linux: we will see a surge in shipments of new computer keyboards, as angry Linux users wear theirs out, ...

Web 2.0 meets the enterprise: complications ensue
May. 24, 2007
"Web 2.0 creep" going on inside the corporate firewall is challenging enterprise networks to handle the real-time demands and bursty nature of the latest collaboration and social networking software, according to IT ...

Don't sniff at used network gear, dealers say
May. 23, 2007
While many among the 400 exhibitors at Interop this week trotted out new network gear, members of UNEDA would rather talk about the old stuff. The United Network Equipment Dealer's Association, a group of used-equipment ...

Cisco, Nortel weigh in on switches of the future
May. 23, 2007
Ethernet switch makers Cisco and Nortel this week said network professionals should start paying a lot more attention to keeping their wiring closets cool and energy efficient as power consumption grows.

Foundry readies monster Ethernet switch
May. 23, 2007
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Vyatta, Digium, partner to combine open source networking and VoIP
May. 23, 2007
Users of open source networking and telephony gear will get good news this week, as Vyatta and Digium have entered into a joint development and marketing agreement.