[Info-vax] Casting IPsec before swine

[Richard Maher]

Hi Steven,

"Steven Underwood" <nobody at spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:7UvBl.413$9t6.403 at newsfe10.iad...
>
>
> "Richard Maher" <maher_rj at hotspamnotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:gr4vcr$5sk$1 at news-01.bur.connect.com.au...
> >
> > You'll find heaps more on the IBM, SUN, HPUX, Apple OSX, and Microsoft
> > Windows sites if you could be botthered looking.
> >
>
> Richard: I looked at the HP site you highlight and right away, the first
> paragraph does not describe my needs at all.
>
> "Your employees are spending more hours working away from their desks:
> working from home, working on the road, working in meetings, working at
> customer sites. Across industries, professionals and knowledge workers
> perform their work away from their desks more than half the time."

That was just one focused example/link of HP/UX targetting a specific
application and/or industry segment. The following two links I also provided
were a general description of IPsec and its functionality, also from the
HPUX pages. Futhermore, I pointed out that there are oodles of web pages
readily available (from Wikipedia to IBM to SUN to Microsoft et al) that
describe what IPsec can do for you and what many other people in your
demographic find it useful for. I've even provided the spartan HP/VMS IPsec
link, but here it is again: -
http://h71000.www7.hp.com/openvms/products/ipsec/

Secure mobile networking and hand-held devices happen to be a bit of a hot
topic at the moment, if you're into that sort of thing. But, you're right,
it's not for everyone.

>
> Well, I work in the insurance industry with a large (90-95% of our
> employees) phone bank, and as such are tied to their desks.  Our VMS
system
> is primarily an end user of the data in the Oracle DB's on other
platforms.
> Batch processing of that data and some home grown Cobol programs are what
is
> running.

Just curious, but how are you securing the traffic from your desktops (or
specific applications on your desktops) to your servers at the moment? SSH?
HTTPS? Stunnel? "They're in the same building, so what"?

>
> Once again, just because IPSec is seen as needed in your area, it is not
> needed everywhere.

I don't recall making that claim, unless your saying that VMS and its
client-base are so special and idiosyncratic that no one on VMS needs what
every other living OS (and many dead) have been doing for years. But I think
I'm hearing you say that because *you* don't need it then VMS shouldn't have
it - bizarre!

Do you imagine that *everyone* on HPUX or Microsoft Windows has a desperate
need for IPsec and, if that wasn't the case, then HP and Microsoft should
not have invested in the technology?

Also, you do know that this IPsec/VMS software is already written don't you?
I'm not asking anyone to kick-off a "Colony on Mars" project here, and don't
forget that IPsec is a mandatory requirement for IPv6 compatibility.
(Actually, the only thing that would half make sense is that after about 5
to 8 years development and XXX million dollars, the IPsec team can't delay a
deliverable any longer and actually have to come up with the goods. Faced
with nothing industrial-strength to show for the investment (except great
sun-tans) they're carrying out deliberate infanticide before anyone twiggs
to what's been going on? [Well that theory's certainly more rational than
the HP/VMS software development/business plan I'm witnessing at the moment])

Steven, please let me ask you a couple more questions: -
1) How much IPv6 are you using at your "phone bank" at the moment?
2) How much RTR are you using?
3) Will your employees be migrating to RTR server on Linux?
4) How much WSIT 3.0 do you plan you use? Must be gagging for Java 6 eh?
5) Gutted when Bridgeworks was canned?

Yet all of these projects continue to enjoy lavish funding while I'm not
hearing a peep out of you (or anyone) about their worthyness. When exactly
did you become accustomed to voting on what VMS Management wastes our money
on? (Here's the tip: It's *only* when they want an excuse to can something!)

> And your tone is very RUDE.
>

You picked up on that huh? Steven there have been many things that have
upset me about what's been done to VMS over the years (some more potentially
fatal than others) but the removal of IPsec is the same as putting VMS into
hospice and upping the morphine :-( I now many of you out there are nearing
retirement and gave up caring long ago, but all you have to do is put pen to
paper and say "I vote for increased connectivity for VMS, increased
*industry-standard* security and e-business potential. I want to *integrate*
my VMS servers into my main-stream data-centre strategy!".

Look, I don't even care if VMS management continues its rape and pillage for
the next five years until they retire (or muster the courage to do the
honourable thing). Feather your nests with RTR, look after your buddies with
WSIT, live it up as large as you have been for the last 30 years, but IPsec
can't be let go! It is that big, it is part of IPv6 and it will be
absolutely essential for your future networking needs and for the future of
VMS.

Anyway, thanks for taking the time to read at least one of the links.

Regards Richard Maher

PS. Do you have no need at all to talk to external agencies/companies? No
salesmen selling insurance? No one "working from home"?

PPS. (To banks self-insure for internet banking fraud? I wonder if it would
be worthwhile to mandate client-node authentication, or at least of higher
interest rate and less fees? Nah, if it gets too bad the taxpayer will bail
them out :-(