The Internet Protocol Journal - Volume 5, Number 3

From the Editor

The Internet Protocol Journal (IPJ) does not have a marketing department. New subscribers learn about IPJ through our Web page, or perhaps by picking up a copy at an Internet conference or meeting such as the IETF. Word of mouth is perhaps the most effective "marketing tool." I was reminded of this in July when an article in IPJ was mentioned on the SlashDot Web site. Within a few days we received more than 900 new subscriptions, on the order of ten times the normal signup rate. I think this illustrates the power of the Web as a tool for information dissemination.

I am a big fan of visitor networks. Such networks, typically found in larger hotels, allow high-speed access to the Internet for a daily or weekly fee. Although most of the conferences and meetings I attend have purpose-built "terminal rooms," it is still nice to be able to work in your hotel room at speeds orders of magnitude better than what can be obtained with a dialup modem. Dory Leifer explains how visitor networks are designed and operated in our first article.

In a previous article we explored the basics of IEEE 802.11 wireless networking. Such networks are growing at an amazing rate. Reports about wireless network "wiretapping" are frequently found in the trade press. Gregory R. Scholz describes an architecture for securing wireless networks, using a variety of technologies and protocols.

Geoff Huston is back with another opinion piece, this time discussing the role of the Internet Service Provider (ISP) as a "common carrier." Many ISPs are finding themselves in the middle of disputes between customers, copyright owners, regulators and others. What role should an ISP play in this regard? Geoff provides some answers.

Please continue to provide your feedback to anything you read in this journal. Our "Letters to the Editor" section provides a sample of some of the correspondence we receive. As always, use ipj@cisco.com to contact us.