New company Flat Connections Inc has announced its first product. The Fremont, California company says Flatware is designed to enhance the speed and security of Web-based communications, and that the first, called Sumba, includes an AT bus Java processor (an embedded 80486 from National Semiconductor Corp – a modem), the Flatware programming interface and what it calls Flatware Commlets, which are designed to provide intelligence at the point of connection on the Internet. Sumba is intended to provide a personal firewall that delivers strong encryption, highly secure electronic mail and real-time virus checking for Internet communications. It includes Java Virtual Machine-based software that splits the security and anti-virus processing tasks between the personal computer’s processor and the Java co-processor – that NatSemi NS486. Sumba also includes the Java Virtual Machine, standard Java programming interfaces and complies with Microsoft Corp’s CAPI 2.0 Cryptographic interface. The processor comes with 4Mb of memory and 1Mb of Flash ROM to provide additional control and security to users and processing networks by providing a storage area for secure authentication keys that can be dynamically downloaded. Memory is upgradable with SIMM modules, and the communications hardware includes a simultaneous 33.6Kbps speech and data modem and 14.4Kbps send and receive facsimile modem. Flat touts Sumba as ideal for individuals, corporations and software developers requiring highly secure electronic mail or on-line virus checking. Users can also deliver their own fast response applications with strong encryption or other co- processing functions at the point of connection. It sees Sumba being used by financial brokers, in electronic commerce, for medical records and private communications, where information is downloaded from a network and, for security reasons, must remain memory-resident in a safe, isolated, Java environment. Mail security is provided by integration with Microsoft Corp’s Exchange mail application using Object Linking & Embedding extensions for delivering signed and encrypted messages. The BSAFE algorithms from RSA Data Security Inc are used for encryption with user key lengths of up to 1,024 bits – within the US at least. The Flatware programming interface enables Windows95 and Java programmers to write Java applets that access the Sumba co-processor. The Java communication features are delivered via Flat Channels, which enable application developers to choose among switching data transparently through to the computer; inspecting and modifying a serial data stream; inspecting and modifying data as a TCP/IP packet stream; or providing peer-to- peer communications between Sumba and the computer. Sumba will be at Comdex/Fall and will be available in December; Flat Connections will license its software and hardware design. No indication of price was given.
