Word of the Day: yarborough - hand of cards none of which is above nine - Ohmigod - I got me a yarborough
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Cisco decides to snoop on users
ROUTER MANUFACTURER Cisco took the chance to snoop on networks by releasing what, at a glance, looks like a relatively mundane bandwidth usage monitor.
The application, part of the firm's Visual Network Index PC Pulse project, aims to provide users and more importantly, Cisco with a greater knowledge of network trends and a "granular understanding". The client, still in beta, is only available for Windows Vista or XP.
Cisco is saying that its application would help garner the user a better understanding of what is using the available bandwidth. Categories such as video, web traffic and so on should in theory allow you to see what's taking up your measly DSL connection. These categories might not be wholly accurate, as smart users can tunnel traffic through various VPNs to mask usage patterns and avoid firewalls and locality restrictions.
The firm is acutely aware that users aren't going to be best pleased at sending their data to some corporate behemoth to look over, so it tries to cover up its tracks by saying that none of the data collected is personally identifiable. It also mentions that the application does not store file names or web history. However Cisco has already started putting very general and anonymous data on its website.
Not content with knowing what you get up to on your desktop, Cisco also released its Global Internet Speed Test for Iphone and Blackberry devices. The program runs a speed test to provide you with a few nicely shaded graphs and a dumbed down conclusion, stating whether your connection is worthy of web surfing or music or video streaming.
Putting the fancy GUI and graphs aside, if you really want to properly track your bandwidth usage SNMP would be a much better and more anonymous way to do it. Many quality broadband routers support the setup of SNMP traps and by using the industry standard MRTG software, you don't have to hand over your surfing habits just to find out how much bandwidth a particular computer on your network is using.
Going back to its core business of flogging network equipment, the firm launched a bunch of Linksys branded wireless routers. All the units support 802.11N but the most interesting of the bunch is the E2100L which has a Linux OS underpinning it. Linksys equipment became popular with hardware enthusiasts once the WRT54 firmware was hacked and spawned many router distributions, all based on Linux.
The firm realises that not everyone who purchases its kit will know, or particularly care, whether it is running Linux or not. To that end Cisco announced Valet to aid in the setup of home wireless networks. In some ways this isn't particularly a bad thing as poorly setup wireless networks are a homing beacon for identity thieves. Pricing is suitably vague and limited to the US currently, but typically where Cisco goes others follow, so expect something similar over here soon.
While its routers might be worth taking a punt on, its software, as any network admin who has had to work with IOS will tell you, is best given a wide berth. µ
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See the following
http://downloads.ciscovnipulse.com/pcpulse/
Also, network vendors have been incorporating visibility (read: netflow, sflow etc) for a long time, so the comment above changing NW vendors because Cisco is embedding technology to HELP YOU is funny. Obviosuly just a marketing troll.
The data in question, be it personally identifiable information, or simply network data, is not Cisco's. And, Cisco has absolutely no right to it what-so-ever. And, as negligible as it may be, who is providing the tab for the bandwidth for the data being sent; the data that I do not agree to send? My network statistics are as confidential as the information that flows on my networks. If Cisco is gravitating toward strong armed ignorance in it's company policies, I am sure that we can expect the same ignorance in product design to follow. Up until now, my company (which will not be mentioned here,) has used Cisco devices. And, a whole lot of them. Thank you for the heads up. I can now begin looking for a viable replacement device manufacturer. Cisco, if we would have been given a choice, that would have been one thing. But unfortunately, you forgot who works for who. Thanks for the extra work, and hassle. Goodbye.
Right on Heels of Aprils Fool, Today, Good Its' Friday. or TGIF AS chinesus Stated While Rowing Out of Town, Is Day Krushev Was Crucified or Maybe Uncle Adolf, Cann' quite Rmrmber, as Both Were Very BAD Communists'.
Tough Load for Dic tation Machine. Should of Stuck With Pencils. yet ,at theINQ, Such Holy Day is Reverend with Day off. Tears Stremin', Not aggregators.
Long week End, Finally, Family meal on Sunday, Personally iCHOOSE: theINTERNATIONALE' SPY Museum & Cafe. Has Anyone ever figured Out Natashas' Full name. NO, Darlin' No.
Soon Monday Morn, Cisco wil be pleased to Se meters HIT RED Again & ALL World Happy. -1.
drashek
To clarify our privacy policy, Cisco respects and protects every individual’s privacy and personal identity. Our applications do not collect or store any personal or identifiable information (e.g., file names, Web history, et al. This information is NOT tracked or stored by our VNI applications.)
I don't think referencing SNMP Traps as a way to capture performance data is accurate. More accurately, the SNMP Service provides access to MIB data, if supported by a platform, can provide critical performance data for analysis.
Additionally, one should always understand the security implications of turning on a service like SNMP, particularly, if you're talking about either Version 1 or 2 of the protocol. SNMP version 3 has been slow to catch on except in network vendors' products.