American Internet next quarter plans to release software to remedy what the company calls the "IP address nightmare" that exists in large networks. The software is intended to assist enterprise networks in becoming IP-enabled and gain Internet access, says Bob Brennan, chief operating officer at American Internet, in Bedford, Massachusetts.
Two common IP addressing utilities, Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP), for automatic configuration of IP addresses, and Domain Name System (DNS), for maintaining IP information at each PC, will be integrated in the product. American Internet's software product will also provide centralised management of IP addressing, automatic deployment of IP addresses and resolution of false or redundant addresses, according to Brennan. It will also account for user, workgroup, subnet and daemon name activity occurring on IP networks. Details on pricing and naming of the product were not available at press time.
The proliferation of TCP/IP addresses is making it difficult to manage IP networks, Brennan says. American Internet hopes to alleviate this burden, he says. "TCP/IP is quickly becoming its own worst enemy, but it's here to stay," Brennan says. American Internet is focusing development efforts on the Windows and Sun Solaris platforms, Brennan says. Unlike workgroup or LAN-based IP management offerings, such as DHCP or DNS servers, the release from American Internet is intended to address enterprise-level IP network address management, he says.