NEC TECHNOLOGIES
INTERNET BUSINESS UNIT
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NEC TECHNOLOGIES INTERNET BUSINESS UNIT |
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of Integrators and Users of BSDI Internet System Software LAS VEGAS, Nev., April 2, 1996 -- NEC Technologies' Internet Business Unit (IBU) announced today that it has licensed its commercial-grade SocksPlusTM firewall software for client applications to Berkeley Software Design, Inc. (BSDITM of Colorado Springs, Colo. SocksPlus is NEC's commercial implementation of the SOCKS client/server firewall protocol that gained popularity among early Internet users. Under the agreement, SocksPlus client-application binaries for FTP, Telnet, and Archie will be distributed on the CD-ROM for BSDI Internet Server Version 2.2, which will begin shipping this summer. Also included will be SocksPlus client libraries, allowing VARs, integrators and end users to create their own SocksPlus-compatible client applications quickly. A sub-license will be available to BSDI customers for building, using and distributing SocksPlus-compliant applications. The sub-license will be offered without charge. The new agreement is consistent with the goals of the IBU's Client Application Partners (CAP) Program, which BSDI will join. The CAP program promotes the development and broad distribution of SocksPlus-supported client applications that work through the IBU's proxy-based PrivateNet Security Server. According to Zen Kishimoto, director of the Internet Business Unit, "We're pleased to be able to extend the reach of SocksPlus into the client software community through this agreement. Since the operating system in our PrivateNet server is based on BSD Unix, we're equally excited by the prospects for increasing overlap between the resellers and integrators who provide BSDI solutions and those who offer the PrivateNet server to their customers." BSDI president Rob Kolstad said, "This agreement is another step toward broadening the availability of applications for BSD platforms. It's important because it supports the security requirements of the exploding markets for Internet and intranet applications, where BSDI has a growing presence through strong sales of our BSDI Server and other products." About SOCKS and SocksPlus SOCKS is widely recognized as the de facto standard for Internet proxy firewalls; SocksPlus from NEC is the first commercial implementation of that standard. NEC has been the steward of the publicly-available free version of SOCKS since 1993, managing the FTP site where SOCKS source code is available and administering the SOCKS mailing list where users of non-commercial SOCKS trade notes on solving problems concerning SOCKS security, configuration and compatibility. SocksPlus server software is used for all outbound connections in NEC's new turnkey PrivateNet firewall server. SocksPlus contains no original SOCKS source code, but is backward-compatible with the existing installed base of version 4.2 of SOCKS. SocksPlus provides significant improvements over non-commercial SOCKS. The code has been broken into modules and thoroughly tested for added security and easy extensibility. It supports UDP applications and server-to-server encrypted communications, and the configuration files have been completely revised to make them straightforward and intuitive. About BSDI Headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., BSDI is the commercial supplier of the high-performance BSD Internet and networking system software originally developed at the University of California at Berkeley. BSDI products for PC platforms include the BSDI Internet Server, BSDI Internet Gateway for Novell Networks, and BSD/OS(tm) for embedded systems. For more information, contact BSDI at (800) 800-4273 or (719) 593-9445), via E-mail at bsdi-info@bsdi.com, or via the World Wide Web at http://www.bsdi.com. About the Internet Business Unit The Internet Business Unit was formed in July 1995 to address the needs of organizations that require secure and productive Internet and intranet connection and use. The unit's first technologies, products and services are security-related. The Internet Business Unit is located in San Jose, California and can be contacted at (800) 668-4869. Further information can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.privatenet.nec.com. About NEC Technologies Headquartered in Boxborough, Mass., NEC Technologies Inc. is a leading manufacturer of computers and peripherals for the North American market. Award-winning product lines include the PowerMate(R) and Ready System products, RISC-based workstations and servers, Versa(R) notebook computers, the MultiSync(R) X-Series of monitors and presentation products, Silentwriter and SuperScript(tm) printers and MultiSpin(R) CD-ROM readers. NEC Technologies is a subsidiary of NEC Corporation. PowerMate, Versa, MultiSync, Silentwriter and MultiSpin are registered trademarks and SocksPlus, PrivateNet, and SuperScript are trademarks of NEC Technologies. All other names are property of their respective owners. - - - - - - - - - - -
Nancy R. Teater
NETWORLD + INTEROP NEWS
Contacts:
Nancy Teater, Hamilton Communications
BSDI: Steven Beedle |
