That was fun.

Well Interop Las Vegas 2008 has come and gone and I'm still somewhat sane.  With the addition of the Software 2008 conference into Interop this year, the volume of sessions was more overwhelming than past Interop events.

Perhaps the biggest challenge I heard from many people was the challenge of deciding what session to go to, since so many overlapped. In fact the conference organizers even overlapped sessions with Keynotes -- which I personally think was a very bad idea.

That said, there was lots to see and hear.

On the show floor, there was the mix of everything that is networking (and at least one that wasn't with the Happy Feet booth...since networking pros have feet issues apparently) with big network vendors, acceleration, testing, power, security, wireless and connectivity booths.

I always personally get a real kick out of the Interop Labs area where you can get hands on with stuff, this year I went hands on (again) with NAC and some Unified Communications stuff.

On the news and trends side, sure 10GbE is there as is virtualization. The biggest thing though (and this may seem quaint) is the broader and continuing realization of what networking is all about. That is, networking exists to enable applications. Being application aware is incredibly important and is something that vendors of all sizes are now claiming to do.

As always I wrote 'a few'  stories from the show (18 in total), so for your reading enjoyment, and as one last look at Interop LV 2008, here you go...

On InternetNews.com:

Interop: Applications And Networks Need to Unite
[May 01, 2008] Future of application delivery discussed at Vegas conference.

Meeting The Challenge of 10GbE
[April 30, 2008] What is the key to 10 gigabit Ethernet? And is there one?

Is It Time to Rethink IT's Priorities?
[April 30, 2008] At Interop, Citrix's CEO explains why the industry needs major change before it can grow.

Interop: How Comcast, Verizon Fight Spam
[April 30, 2008] Major networking players address e-mail's never-ending nuisance.

Interop: The Problem With NAC
[April 29, 2008] While interest swells in Network Access Control and vendors converge around standards, would-be adopters still need to weigh some serious decisions.

Ethernet: Getting Faster, Getting Greener
[April 29, 2008] As the race toward faster speeds continues, so too does the search for reducing power consumption.

Nortel Pitches Networks Revamp For Virtualization
[April 28, 2008] Linux-based hardware appliance aims to optimize virtualization for datacenter deployment.

'NAC 2.0' Takes Shape Under Networking Giants
[April 28, 2008] Microsoft, Cisco and TCG converge on standards as broader network access control standards emerge.

Riding Out The Slowdown, Speeding Up Networks
[April 25, 2008] Can networking gear help to recession proof your network?

Laying The Groundwork For 10GbE Networks
[April 25, 2008] As the networking world moves to 10GbE networks, it's not just speed that matters.

On this Blog:

• Interop : What Users Want
• Interop : Are We All Sick?
• Interop : Open Source Panel Heckled and Walked Out On
• Interop: When Keynotes Go Bad
• Interop : Using Microsoft to Monitor Unix and Linux
• Interop: Video is the Key To Network Staff Morale
• Interop: How Green Is Your Data Center?
• Citrix Pairs App Acceleration with Virtualization