NT News Network - 01 Jul 1997

Microsoft will use FireWire as a universal interface for peripheralssuch as storage drives, CD-ROMs, Digital Video Disc (DVD) drives, and otherelectronics products. Apple Computer developed the FireWire specification (IEEE 1394) to let peripherals, such as a camcorder, perform high-speed transfers of large amounts of data.

Hardware manufacturers can now develop FireWire-enabled devices and thesupporting software that Windows operating systems need to control thesedevices. Microsoft plans to use the FireWire spec as an interface for Device Bay technology, which lets a user connect a variety of devices to a common interface, called a bay. Such bay devices will automatically configure themselves.

Companies that will support the spec include Texas Instruments, IBM,Harmon Industries, Toshiba, and Yamaha. FireWire-enabled products will appear in late 1997, and the next versions of Windows will include further support for the technology.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

Business Quality Messaging
IBM, Intel, Microsoft, and messaging industry leaders (HP, AT&T,Isocor, the MesaGroup, Meta Group, Pfizer, and RedBox Technologies) recently announced Business Quality Messaging (BQM), a new way to run shrink-wrapped business-critical applications on corporate intranets. The companies also announced their support of a special interest group to facilitate development of BQM-capable products.

BQM-capable products use reliability mechanisms, such as message queuing, that are commonly found in transactional message products. An example of a BQM technology includes IBM's MQWare, a technology based on IBM's MQSeries messaging technology. MQWare is for independent software vendors (ISVs) and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to embed in their shrink-wrapped Windows NT-based applications. The product provides assured, "once only" message delivery between instances of a message-enabled application (e.g., it ensures information is not lost between servers using MQWare to issue "send and forget"messages between instances of their application in an NT Server-based network).

Microsoft recognizes the need for BQM and will introduce Microsoft Message Queue Server (MSMQ--code-named Falcon) in the next few months. MSMQ provides full-featured transactional message queuing services that are tightly integrated with ActiveX and NT or Windows 95. MSMQ delivers interapplication communications across the network. According to Microsoft, MSMQ "is designed to reliably tie together thousands of connected and disconnected application nodes through a common queuing model, providing the scalable performance required to solve the largest enterprisewide application problems."

—Mark Joseph Edwards

OnNow Technology Plans
Microsoft announced that all the specifications are in place tobuild OnNow-enabled PCs. According to Microsoft, OnNow switches on a PCinstantly, like a VCR or a TV, without rebooting. The PC boots and respondsautomatically to incoming faxes, voicemail, and email, even when it appears to be switched off. Users won't wait for the computer to boot because it's never really turned off, and they'll save money on energy costs because the PC isn't fully powered when idle. Vendors supporting the OnNow spec include Compaq Computer, HP, Intel, Phoenix Technologies, and Toshiba America Information Systems. The OnNow technology will be available with Windows Personal Edition (code-named Memphis) and Windows NT Workstation 5.0.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

Netcraft Web Server Report
Netcraft released its latest Web server query results, which showthat of the polled sites running either Internet Information Server (IIS) or Netscape, IIS is now a more popular choice. To compile the survey, Netcraft claims that it collects and collates as many hostnames providing an HTTP service as it can find and systematically polls each one with an HTTP request for the server name. In the April 1997 survey, Netcraft received responses from 1,002,612 Web sites, of which 131,718 sites were running IIS and 112,554 sites were running one of the three Netscape Web servers. The UNIX-based Apache Web server is the overall winner. A whopping 429,049 of the sites surveyed were running the Apache software. The full survey results are at http://www.netcraft.com/survey.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

Heavy Hitters Clustering Together
In a move that must be at least partially geared to support theupcoming Wolfpack clustering technology, Compaq Computer, Intel, Microsoft, and other industry leaders have announced an initiative to define high-speed communications interfaces for clusters of servers and workstations. The initiative, the Virtual Interface (VI) Architecture specification, will produce a new class of scalable cluster products that offer high performance, low total cost of ownership, and broad applicability. More than 40 companies will participate in the process to complete the draft technical specification before its public release later this year.

The VI Architecture specification defines standard hardware and softwareinterfaces for cluster communications. The specification will be media-,processor-, and operating system-independent. The software interface willsupport a variety of efficient programming models to simplify development and ensure performance. The hardware interface will be compatible with standard networks such as asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), Ethernet, and fibre channel, and specialized system area network products available from a variety of vendors.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

RedButton Reveals Bugs in NT
In late April, Midwestern Commerce released a new program,RedButton, that lets anyone with remote access to a Windows NT server (using ports 137, 138, and 139) connect to that machine and read sensitive Registry information. This program presents a serious problem, and you need to guard against it at all costs. A quick test of RedButton shows that it connects to a remote NT system. RedButton logs on remotely on a target computer without presenting a username or password, accesses the resources available to Everyone, determines the current name of a built-in Administrator account (thus demonstrating that renaming the account is useless), reads several Registry entries (i.e., displays the name of a registered owner), and lists all shares including the hidden ones.

Administrators need to consider blocking access to ports 137, 138, and 139 on machines exposed to the Internet. You can also stop the Server service to protect yourself, although doing so limits your ability to share resources. Another possible way to protect your systems from RedButton is to unbind NetBIOS from TCP/IP and use NetBEUI or IPX/SPX on your internal LAN. Additionally, replacing the Everyone group throughout your Registry tree with the Users group will partially stop RedButton. Finally, instead of renaming your built-in Administrator account to something obscure, leave the account in place, cripple it by removing all permissions and rights, and then set up a new account for administrative access.

Microsoft released a hotfix for this RedButton problem on May 3. You candownload it from its FTP site at ftp://ftp.microsoft.com/bussys/ winnt/winnt-public/fixes/usa/ nt40/hotfixes-postSP2/sec-fix. This fix, which is also in Service Pack 3 (SP3), stops problems associated with RedButton and incorporates some of the security features you'll find in NT 5.0. For instance, you can now set up NT to require a key before it will boot. The key can be a password or a disk that the user must insert before the machine will boot NT.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

Oracle Strengthens NT Support
Oracle plans to spend as much as $2 million on Windows NT trainingfor its technical support analysts. Currently, Oracle has several hundred NT support analysts, but it wants to raise that number to about 1500. Oracle says in addition to its normal volume of NT-related support calls, it's been handling an extra 500 NT service requests per month since January 1996, and apparently the trend isn't slowing. Oracle has supported NT for the past three years because Oracle7 Server, Oracle WebServer, Oracle InterOffice, Designer/2000, and others run on NT.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

NetPC Specs Solidified
Microsoft, Dell Computer, Compaq, HP, and Intel have completed theirspecifications for the upcoming NetPC. The newly defined specifications include Intel and Digital Equipment Alpha processors. The specs state that the NetPC is designed with a sealed case that prevents end-user access. NetPC management specs also require that a system be capable of setup, startup, and control from a remote location. Minimum hardware requirements for a NetPC running Windows NT specify either a 133MHz Pentium or a DEC Alpha processor. Neither system requires a hard disk drive or a floppy drive. NetPCs will run NT and Windows 95, and Microsoft plans for NT 5.0 and Memphis to enhance the management and control of NetPCs.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

Site Server, Enterprise Edition
Microsoft recently released Microsoft Commercial Internet System(MCIS) 1.0, which includes MCIS Mail, MCIS News, Internet Locator Service (ILS), Personalization System (PS), Content Replication System (CRS), Address Book, Membership System, and Merchant Server. But even with this new product release, Microsoft is rebundling some of MCIS's components with new components to a create a package that costs less than MCIS.

MCIS 1.0 costs $18,500, and Microsoft plans to release MCIS version 2.0beta in the near future. However, Microsoft has shipped a beta version of its new Site Server, Enterprise Edition, which costs $4999, to a limited group of beta testers. The package includes Commerce Server, Commerce Server SDK, CRS, Content Replication System SDK, ILS, PS, Microsoft Site Analyst (SA), Usage Analyst (UA), Posting Acceptor (PA), and Microsoft Web Publishing Wizard.

Site Server, code-named OSSA, is a comprehensive Web site environment that lets the developer enhance, deploy, and manage commerce-enabled Web sites running Internet Information Server (IIS). The list of components Microsoft is shipping with OSSA makes the package look like a great toolkit. The beta ships with Visual InterDev 1.0 and Service Pack 2 (SP2) for NT.

In addition, Microsoft is shipping Base Camp with Site Server, Enterprise Edition. Base Camp is for firms deploying large dial-up networks--namely Internet Service Providers (ISPs). Base Camp simplifies and reduces the requirements for secure network connections. The package adds new features including Connection Point Services, Commercial In-
ternet Authentication Services (CIAS), Internet Authentication Services, Connection Manager Administration Kit, and Connection Manager.

Microsoft will cease to offer Merchant Server as a separate product fromSite Server, Enterprise Edition. The company will include its Visual InterDev development suite with Site Server, Enterprise Edition, through 1997 and will ship the release version of Site Server, Enterprise Edition, this summer.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

Service Pack 3 Released
Microsoft released Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Windows NT 4.0 inmid-May. The service pack is almost 18MB for the Intel version and about 24MB for the Alpha. Sorry folks, but don't look for an SP3 for the PowerPC.Apparently, as far as NT is concerned, the PowerPC, at least in Microsoft'seyes, has gone the way of the old BetaMax tapes. SP3 contains 180 fixes. The READ ME file contains a list of fixed problems, which range fromintermittent file corruption all the way to Domain Name System (DNS) servers not responding.

In addition to the fixes, SP3 introduces new features that focus onsecurity concerns and workarounds for previously reported problems. Forinstance, SP3 offers information about workarounds for systems that don'trecognize tape drives after service packs are applied, Windows 95 systems that don't save files correctly to a shared folder, NT backups that don't restore active files in certain instances, TCP/IP printer port limitations, and audio card problems.

Be sure to check the Windows NT Magazine Web site. We've created a Service Pack 3 Forum, where we post new information about problems, workarounds, and fixes as we receive information. If you find a problem with SP3, we'd like to hear about it. Please send us an email describing the problem, whether you can replicate the problem, and how you fixed it (if you found a fix). We'll post the information online where readers can share your findings. Send your SP3-related correspondence to http://www.winntmag.com/forums.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

Web-based Print Servers?
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) announced that a workinggroup consisting of Microsoft, Adobe Systems, Canon, HP, IBM, LexmarkInternational, Ricoh, and Xerox, has set its sights on defining a standardprotocol for sending print jobs over the Internet. The new protocol, Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), will let users send their print jobs across the Internet regardless of the operating system and printers on each end of the connection. The group plans to present a final draft to the IETF in August. Once ratified, the protocol will take about six months to find its way into printers in the marketplace. IPP will, in effect, turn printers into Web servers that users will send a universal resource locator (URL) to. The printer "Web server" will then retrieve the document at that URL and print it. As a result, IPP printers may need a hard disk for local storage, which will raise the cost of the printer. If a printer doesn't have a hard disk, the user will need to download the document and then send it to the printer. IPP printers will also need to be fitted with Web server and client software.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

Iomega Recalls Jaz Disks
As of April 25, 1997, Iomega, makers of the hugely popular Zip andJaz storage devices, recalled about 75,000 Jaz disk cartridges because of afaulty component. The fault could eventually cause performance problems and even data loss. By examining the back of the cartridge for a date and manufacturing code, you can identify Jaz disks affected by this problem. Look toward the center of the disk above the inscription "(c) Iomega 1995 Patents Pending." If the date falls between March 13, 1997, and April 20, 1997, and if the letters and numbers below the date end with MS, do not use the disk. You must replace it. If the date on the disk is not between the specified dates or if the letters and numbers below the date do not end with MS, you have no problem. Also, according to Iomega, any Jaz disks you purchased before March 24 are not affected. Iomega estimates the problem involves about 20,000 Jaz disks in the USand about 55,000 disks outside the US.

Iomega established a toll-free customer service line at 800-336-1314.Company representatives answer between 6:00 am and 9:00 pm Mountain Standard Time, seven days a week. The company mails replacement disks with a postage-paid return envelope so that you can send back the defective units.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

SP3 Could Stand for Security Pack 3
Because I'm a security enthusiast, four features of Service Pack 3(SP3) really excite me: Server Message Block (SMB) signing, password filtering, restricting anonymous user access, and using a system key to strongly encrypt password information. Let's take a quick peek at these items.

SMB signing is incredibly useful, and way overdue. A new version of the SMB authentication protocol, also known as the Common Internet File System (CIFS) file sharing protocol, handles client/server connectivity and authentication concerns. The new protocol now supports mutual authentication. This authentication means both client and server agree up front that they are who they say they are, eliminating the possibility of a "man-in-the-middle" attack, where someone could pose as an impostor and intercept client/server communications. This new feature does have some restrictions, so be sure to examine the dependencies as noted in the README file.

With password filtering, the Administrator can force certain passwordrestrictions on user password choices. If the password choice doesn't match the criteria, NT rejects it, forcing the user to make another choice. Poor password choices often provide an intruder with an avenue into your network. Password filtering comes as a DLL that you can add to the system.

In a nutshell, password filtering requires users to choose a password that is at least six characters long. The password can't contain any part of the username or real name, and it must have three of the four following data types: uppercase letters, lowercase letters, Arabic numerals, and nonalphanumeric characters. For instance, "Rockets97" is not a valid password because it doesn't contain any nonalphanumeric characters, but "Q0xV3%s+!!" is valid (and much tougher to crack, I might add).

SP3 provides the ability to restrict anonymous user access. Windows NT uses anonymous accounts for system-to-system communications, and anonymous accounts can be a potential security risk--as revealed by the RedButton program. Also, SP3 creates a new built-in group known as Authenticated Users.

Last but not least, SP3 includes a killer new feature for all you security fanatics: system keys. You might recall the release of NTCrack and PWDump software that dumps the Security Accounts Manager (SAM) database and attempts to crack the passwords--system keys go a long way toward preventing this type of attack. With SP3, you can create a server key for NT. Without the key, you can't boot the NT system at all. You can create and store the key in three different ways as explained in the documentation. System keys use strong encryption techniques to increase protection of account password information stored in the Registry by the SAM. Consequently, these passwords are much more difficult to attack.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

See Tomorrow's NT 5.0 Features Today
Service Pack 3 (SP3) offers some cool new features for NT 4.0--eachof which will be a native part of NT 5.0. For starters, SP3 upgrades DirectX 2.0 to DirectX 3.0. DirectX is the MS multimedia technology, offering DirectDraw, DirectSound, DirectInput, DirectPlay, and Direct3D--all for your local and networked audio-visual pleasure.

New features and enhancements were made to the API, and SP3 replaces theprevious beta release of DirectX 3.0. The new Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) 3.0 provides an updated ODBC Control Panel and an ODBC Administrator interface that uses tabbed controls and provides more information about the ODBC components installed and in use on your system. This version introduces the concept of a file data source that can be shared or placed on a central server. With appropriate drivers installed, users can share a file data source or place a file data source on a central server.

SP3 includes CryptoAPI (CAPI) 2.0 as an upgrade to version 1.0, whichprovides developers with core cryptographic and certificate functions. CAPI 2.0 retains this core cryptographic functionality, and adds certificate-based functionality. Developers can use certificates with these public-key operations and perform the necessary encapsulations and encoding to apply certificates within their applications.

New versions of the remote procedure call (RPC) transport and the RPCservices are also in this service pack. These changes provide enhanced support for RPC message queuing, which is a feature of the upcoming Microsoft Message Queue Server (MSMQ).

—Mark Joseph Edwards

IBM and NCD Announce WinCenter
Network Computing Devices (NCD) and IBM announced joint programs to bringmultiuser Windows solutions to the corporate marketplace. NCD, an ISO 9001-rated firm, will provide WinCenter application server software for accessing Windows software packaged with IBM's network computer (NC), the IBM Network Station. Additionally, NCD will let all qualified IBM Business Partners resell WinCenter software. IBM says that with WinCenter, IBM Network Station users can access Windows-based applications with AS/400, 3270, and UNIX applications. The combination of the IBM Network Station with NCD's WinCenter software will let users access applications at a reduced cost of ownership.

—Mark Joseph Edwards

Six Versions of Windows NT
Over the next several years, Windows NT will come in six flavors, threeserver and three workstation versions. The software is all NT, but the packaging will change to target specific segments of the market, from small office/home office (SOHO) to enterprise.

Server Family

The NT Server family will include Small Business Server, NT Server for the midrange market, and NT Server Enterprise Edition. Each member of the NT Server family will include Microsoft Transaction Server and Microsoft Message Queue Server (MSMQ), which will let software vendors add fault-tolerance features to each segment of the business market.

Small Business Server combines NT Server with several BackOffice components including SQL Server, Internet Information Server (IIS), Proxy Server, and Exchange. This package emphasizes ease-of-use and is designed to run on a single server with approximately 25 or fewer users.

Microsoft will position NT Server as we know it today at the midrangesegment of the market where it will continue to dominate as an applicationserver. In addition, this version will host Microsoft's new multiuser features, code-named Hydra, which are based on technology licensed from Citrix Systems and Prologue Software. Hydra will host Windows-based Terminals, a low-cost thin client that communicates with NT Server via the T-Share protocol, which products such as NetMeeting use. This version will be Microsoft's answer to the network computer (NC) threat.

NT Server Enterprise Edition (NTS/e), will include clustering (Wolfpack)support, 64-bit very large memory (VLM), and support for 8-way symmetricmultiprocessing (SMP) systems. This package will target high-end applications such as data warehouses and parallel databases. To take advantage of 64-bit support, software vendors will have to design and compile their applications for Alpha-based CPU systems until sometime before the year 2000 when Intel's 64-bit chip, code-named Merced, is available. Microsoft recently announced BackOffice/e to take advantage of the features in NTS/e.

Workstation Family

A consumer version of NT Workstation (NTW) will eventually replace Windows 95. This version will hide the security and administration features and will work on home and mobile computers. However, this version won't replace Windows 95 (which will be called Windows Personal Edition) until the year 2000. Until then, Windows Personal Edition is the primary choice for home users.

Microsoft will position NTW, as we know it today, as the business desktop of choice. The stability, security, and ease-of-use will help Microsoft build its case. The addition of plug-and-play and Advanced Power Management in NTW 5.0 will increase NTW's desktop role in the corporate market.

NTW Professional will take advantage of the 64-bit VLM support in NT 5.0. This support will let NTW compete for the high-end workstation applications that run on UNIX workstations today. These applications include engineering, CAD, 3D graphics, digital video editing, and others that take advantage of multi-gigabytes of RAM that 64-bit VLM supports. Software vendors will have to design and recompile their applications to take advantage of the 64-bit support. This delay will give Digital Equipment's Alpha CPU a two-year head start over Intel's 64-bit Merced chip.

—Mark Smith

Computer Telephony Expo '97 Report
From March 4 to March 6, Flatiron Publishing and Computer Telephony Magazine hosted Computer Telephony Expo '97, the computer telephony (CT) industry's biggest show, at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

More than 490 companies displayed their wares, making this show the biggest-ever showcase of CT products and technology. The computer industry continues to move at blazing speed, and this year's CT Expo convinced me that the "little" $8 billion CT industry is catching up with mainstream computing. Keeping pace means that sophisticated PC-based systems are increasingly aiding or fully handling entire classes of telephone-based transactions.

So what's hot in CT? Windows NT is clearly the standard platform for most new CT products. A year ago, NT showed promise as the new standard for high-performance, high-end CT products. Today, few users question NT's presence as the number one environment for all CT products, not just those the industry classifies as high-density solutions. Another NT product, Microsoft Outlook, has established itself as the preferred messaging front-end to unify all messaging types (e.g., voice, fax, email) on the enterprise desktop.

Products at CT Expo '97 fit into several distinct categories. Many of the products merge Private Branch eXchange (PBX) and voice and fax mail functionality into one easy-to-maintain NT-based system. Other products use the Internet as a conduit to route fax and voice messages inexpensively (as compared with the traditional public switched telephone network). Still other products make deploying a small to midsized call center (up to about 100 agent seats) using skills-based routing (i.e., routing the call to the agent who can best handle the caller's needs) fairly easy. The following are some of the products that caught my eye at CT Expo '97.

AltiWare 3.5 and Quantum "All-In-One" Board
AltiGen Communications is an innovative company with a vision to create a board and software combination that lets businesses install an NT-based PC solution to handle all PBX functionality and voicemail and call routing functions. AltiGen announced AltiWare 3.5, which now handles Automated Call Distribution (ACD) functions for queuing incoming callers to Help desks and other groups (i.e., it provides small businesses with the same call queuing and routing functionality that only large call centers can typically afford). This release can also connect callers to recorded prompts and music while callers are waiting for service. AltiWare's Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) and Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3)-compatible post office lets you attach voice messages to email for distribution to others via the Internet and intranets.

You can even use your Web browser to administer features via LAN or remote Internet connections. You can include the ability to forward callers to one or more internal or external numbers. Screen 1, page 60, shows the main browser-based voicemail user administration window.

AltiGen's hardware component, a 12-port Quantum "All-In-One" board, inserts into a full-length ISA slot on a PC server running NT. You can install up to 10 of these boards in the same platform to provide up to 100 phone extensions.

CallXPressNT and AgentXpressNT
Applied Voice Technology (AVT) is an industry voicemail veteran that manages to keep its technology out front year after year. The company showed CallXpressNT, its new NT-based voice and call processing system, at this year's CT Expo. CallXpressNT offers unified messaging from both the telephone and Microsoft Outlook. Users can manage voice and fax messages in the same list as email on their desktop PCs or access all messages with one phone call using a common set of commands. AVT demonstrated integrated fax features via its NT-based fax server and realtime desktop call control.

AVT also showcased AgentXpressNT, its NT-based call center management system, which you see in Screen 2. Designed for the small to midsized call center, AgentXpressNT allows for scalable growth from 4 agents to 84 agents and provides a realtime switching matrix and skills-based routing.

NT Voice Mail
CallWare Technologies showed its new open architecture NT-based voicemail product, NT Voice Mail. Features include auto attendant, intelligent call routing and message taking, directory listings, distribution lists, special mail delivery options (urgent, future delivery, confidential, and return receipt), notification options (pager, phone, cellular phone, etc.), and easy-to-use administration utilities.

CorelVIDEO Corporate, Remote, and Compression CAM
Corel showed its CorelVIDEO Corporate realtime desktop videoconferencing product. Corel claims the number of supported clients is limitless and that WAN connectivity options range from Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) to V.35 modem.

The CorelVIDEO Remote companion product supports an ISDN connection and is H.320 compliant. Remote users can log on to a CorelVIDEO Corporate site and access all resources at the corporate site. This tool is great for telecommuters who don't want to miss seeing their boss every day.

Corel also showed its Java-based CorelVIDEO Compression CAM, an H.323-compliant product. When you connect this camera to a PC parallel port, you can have a digital conference over a LAN or the Internet.

EasyRun Call Center
EasyRun Communication Software Systems demonstrated EasyRun Call Center (ECC) its virtual call-center environment, for which the company won a best-of-show award. The company specializes in skills-based routing and monitoring.

ECC uses Microsoft's NetMeeting and the Internet to give agents at home full access to the call-center database system and communication with a supervisor via a chat utility. The product intelligently routes calls to onsite and remote agents and harnesses the Internet for agent-to-call-center communication. ECC includes three applications, CenterLink, CenterPhone, and CenterBoard.

CenterLink is an NT Server-based application that controls incoming telephone calls and performs intelligent routing based on the call profile, agent capabilities, and system performance. Enterprise users can design call-flow scripts by using graphical icons, form-based data entry, and drag-and-drop programming.

CenterPhone is the client application that gives onsite and remote call-center agents a PC-phone utility for controlling telephone and routing functions. It also provides access to information related to the agent's performance.

CenterBoard is a utility that displays text and dynamic data on a wall unit or a PC. The system manager designs and controls the display.

Vocal'Net
Inter-Tel rolled out Vocal'Net, its voice gateway product that uses the Internet to transport long-distance voice phone calls at a reduced cost. With this server product, you don't need a sound card inside your PC; instead, you can place calls with a traditional phone handset.

The product routes phone calls through your local phone system into the Vocal'Net server. From the server, Vocal'Net compresses and groups telephone conversations into Internet data packets.

Vocal'Net then sends these packets in realtime from the server through your LAN Internet router to the Internet. A remote Vocal'Net server picks up these Internet voice packets, decompresses them, and passes them through the phone system at the remote end to establish the connection with the person you called.

Vocal'Net can save you money if you have a lot of phone traffic between two or more corporate sites if you install Vocal'Net at each site. I see a lot of future competition for Inter-Tel's Vocal'Net, but the Internet telephony market will hold plenty of enterprise business for more than a few companies.