Microsoft Talks Longhorn communications fundamentals

"Microsoft expects to include the following comms upgrades in Longhorn next year:

• Delivery of a new, integrated IPv4/IPv6 stack optimized for low-speed wireless and multi-gigabit networks, both. (Microsoft exec) Khaki said the stack will be extensible, so as to provide "easy integration with third-party products such as firewalls, parental controls and virus products."
• Built-in support for streaming audio/video for entertainment and real-time communications tasks.
• Support for 802.11i wireless networking and 802.1x enterprise wireless scripting support. Microsoft also will deliver more troubleshooting tools for wireless users, officials said.
• Enhancements to Redmond's support of core DHCP, RRAS/VPN and RADIUS networking infrastructure services, including updates allowing them all to support fully IPv6.
• Microsoft will step up its IPSec support by providing server-to-server communications, domain isolation and network-access protection, execs said.
• Khaki and the other chat participants emphasized that Microsoft is making enhancements to both consumer- and enterprise-focused networking features with Longhorn.
• Microsoft is not planning on supporting wireless mesh in Longhorn, Huitema said, in response to a question on the topic. "But the extensibility features will allow addition of wireless mesh in the future, either by Microsoft or by third parties," he said.

Another feature which may not be supported in Longhorn is NetBIOS, a programming API for local network communication developed in the 1980s, Microsoft chat participants said, in response to participants' questions. "We're investigating retiring NetBIOS, but it isn't clear whether this will happen in Longhorn," said one Microsoft networking official.
Throughout the chat, Microsoft participants emphasized the networking security advances which they are planning to deliver with Longhorn.

A new Windows Filtering Platform will improve firewall development and deployment, Microsoft officials said. And Network Access Protection (NAP) — a framework and process via which computers must prove they are "healthy" before logging onto a network — also will be a key Longhorn enhancement, Microsoft officials said."

Well, let's see. IPv6 is an Internet plumbing issue that has no effect no users. Microsoft has to support it. IPv4 will be with us for a decade. Streaming audio support already exists, but the PC-streaming server overhead is way to high. Maybe good news there. 802.11i is another must do by Microsoft. Users will have to buy all-new equipment to use it, whoch means 802.11b/g will be with us ... for another decade. IPSEC strengthening is gooness, and let's hope it's not cracked any time soon. Mesh networking is another technology looking for a market.

I worry about retiring NetBIOS support. I can name several home networking situations where file sharing only worked when NetBIOS was specifically enabled over the Ethernet LAN. Consumers who cannot get to other home machines will sink Longhorn in a heartbeat, so I recommend Redmond make this weak spot flawless before retiring the workaround.

Missing from the list is Wimax support, which Intel will have in hardware products next year. Intel has made a very big deal about building out Wimax infrastructure as a solution to "always connected" and wider connectivity than 802.11 hotspots (<100>

Peter S. Kastner