GuidesServerWatch News Briefs for December 26, 2003

ServerWatch News Briefs for December 26, 2003

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This Week’s Swatches

  • ICP Releases Combined Embedded SMB Web Mail Server and Mail Log
  • Novadigm Beefs Up Data Center Automation Solution
  • Digital Broadcast, Pathfire Partner Streamline of News Content Workflow
  • ICP Releases Combined Embedded SMB Web Mail Server and Mail Log

    ICP Electronics released an embedded multifunctional Web mail server and mail log feature designed specifically for SMBs.
    Novadigm unveiled the latest version of its Radia Server Management solution. And television broadcast companies Digital Broadcast and Pathfire joined forces to develop an automated streamlined workflow to move news content directly to video file servers and editing platforms.

    This week, Taiwan-based ICP Electronics, manufacturer of Internet appliances and industrial computers, released an embedded multifunctional Web mail server and mail log feature designed with small and midsize businesses (SMBs) in mind.

    WMS-2208R is the first model in the ICP’s Post Genie product series.

    The product was aimed at the SMB market because ICP believes this is where demand for professional e-mail management solutions is urgent and booming. Due to the high cost and complexity of management, until now most SMB offices had no alternative but to use mail service provided by their ISP, resulting in a less-professional image and making it difficult to manage e-mail and user accounts.

    WMS-2208R is a plug-n-play solution embedded with Linux and intelligent mail serving software that can be up and running within few minutes. With no license charge, ICP claims a savings of up to 12 times the cost of the server, and enterprises can add on as many e-mail accounts as desired. IEI’s NAS technology is incorporated into the Web mail server, providing storage of up to 400 GB and double mail protection through RAID 0/1, as well as scheduled remote replication. A built-in Web mail feature offers seamless mail access.

    The server also features a built-in firewall, 8-port ADSL/Cable router, print server, and DDNS support.

    ICP describes WMS-2208R’s mail logger as unique. In addition to tracking all inbound and outbound mail, the mail logger contains a number of advanced functions such as anti-spam, auto-reply, mail block, forward, and search in its feature set.

    WMS-2208R is priced starting at less than $1,000.

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    Novadigm Beefs Up Data Center Automation Solution

    Novadigm this week unveiled a new version of its Radia Server Management solution, an offering to simplify the management of constantly changing software configurations for data center servers.

    The new-and-improved solution enables IS organizations to integrate and automate operational processes for provisioning, updating, and patching increasingly complex mission-critical server environments.

    George Kellar, vice president of marketing for Novadigm, said, “With these data center enhancements … IT organizations can now provision and manage servers in the data center and anywhere in the world with greater speed, security and reliability.”

    Enhancements to the Radia Server Management solution include:

    • Increased automation of IT operations
    • Streamlined configuration management of data center applications
    • Enhanced server configuration analysis, baselining, tracking, and reporting
    • Integrated provisioning and patching
    • Extended platform support

    The enhancements will be made available during the first quarter of 2004. Pricing will be dependent on customer configurations.

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    Digital Broadcast, Pathfire Partner Streamline of News Content Workflow

    Television broadcast companies Digital Broadcast and Pathfire this week joined forces to develop an automated streamlined workflow to move news content directly to video file servers and editing platforms.

    Digital Broadcast provides automated news room and master control equipment for television broadcasts, while Pathfire offers digital content distribution and management solutions.

    Under terms of the agreement, news content video files received on Pathfire’s Digital Media Gateway (DMG) in a broadcast facility can be automatically transferred to Digital Broadcast’s NewsBank and MediaBank servers via Pathfire’s DMG Server Connect for News.

    Once files are transferred to Digital Broadcast servers, the files can be edited in native MPEG-2 format and sent direct to air, retaining master file quality and avoiding any file degradation, and thus eliminating the need to store video files on tape prior to transfer to play-to-air servers or video editing systems.

    With Digital Broadcast’s NewsEdit editing software, broadcast facility staff can perform I, P, or B frame-accurate, long or short GOP MPEG-2 edits as well as frame-accurate native DV edits. Also, MPEG-2 content and DV content can be edited together and stored as MPEG-2, DV, or other format.

    Following the new workflow, news stories arrive via Pathfire and can then be transferred directly to Digital Broadcast NewsBank system via DMG Server Connect for News in native MPEG-2 format and edited with other content to compile robust and seamless local interest stories. Pathfire DMG Server Connect for News then enables digital file transcoding and transfer of news content directly to play-to-air servers and video editing platforms. Multiple DMG users in a facility can initiate file transfers simultaneously.

    The companies believe news room workflow will benefit from the efficiency and economy that will arise from using the two systems in tandem.

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