Worth Reading 072226


Email authentication has quietly held the internet’s mail together for two decades, and it has just taken its biggest step forward yet.

 


A few months ago in Mercer County, Kentucky, more than 200 residents packed a planning and zoning commission meeting until every seat was filled, with citizens standing along the walls. Yard signs reading “NO DATA CENTER” lined farm roads from Harrodsburg to Burgin.

 


AI coding tools have changed the software development world in a few short years, but security risks and rising costs associated with AI-generated code mean organizations should consider their potential return on investment (ROI) before jumping into the deep end.

 


A recent PING episode noted that, for the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) at least, ‘the shape of the curve’ appears to have changed.

 


Today’s Internet runs on a vast infrastructure of replicated data, and the difference between order and chaos lies in maintaining consistency through synchronization across the many distributed points where that data is published.

SONiC – ASIC Programming: Port Characteristics

 The previous section described at a high level how the config_db.json file is loaded into the Redis CONFIG_DB database in the Database container. Next we look at the topic in slightly more detail. First, we examine how physical port information, such as the port's default speed and lane configuration, is processed during the initial boot before it is programmed into the switch ASIC.

 

Step 1: Creating a Config_db.json and Updating CONFIG_DB by Sonic-cogent

 

Figure 4-2 illustrates how platform-specific port information becomes the PORT and BREAKOUT_CFG entries stored in the Redis CONFIG_DB database. During the image initialization process, sonic-cfggen uses the platform-specific port_config.ini file (1) together with other platform configuration files and templates to generate the port-related entries in the config_db.json file (2). The port_config.ini file defines the logical, expected physical characteristics of the switch ports, including the front-panel alias names, lane mappings, index values, subport values, and default port speeds. After the config_db.json file has been generated, its contents are loaded into the Redis CONFIG_DB database during the SONiC boot process (3).

 

Figure 4-2 also shows the DEVICE_METADATA table, which contains platform-specific information such as the base MAC address, switch_type, Continue reading

How the 2026 World Cup affected Internet traffic

For 96 years, the World Cup has been a global phenomenon, uniting nations and communities through a shared love of sportsmanship. While its popularity is nothing new, what is novel today is how rare a truly collective global experience has become. In an era defined by microtrends and algorithmic bubbles, it is increasingly uncommon for people across most countries to engage in the exact same event. 

That is precisely the unifying power of the World Cup. Fans from all over the globe reshape their daily routines around these once-in-a-lifetime matchups and storylines — and because Cloudflare operates a global network with 330+ points of presence worldwide, we are in a unique position to see exactly how this global ritual reshaped the world’s online activity throughout June and July 2026. 

Cloudflare Radar tracks HTTP traffic, DNS, security, and more to highlight global Internet trends. In this blog post we’ll use that data to explore how the World Cup impacted global traffic patterns throughout the tournament’s run. 

How did the World Cup change our behavior online? 

To understand how traffic changes throughout a match, we had to establish what it is “normally.” One way to do this Continue reading

Cloudflare Internal DNS is now generally available

Starting today, Cloudflare Internal DNS is generally available. Cloudflare Internal DNS provides authoritative and recursive DNS for private networks on the same global network and control plane customers already use for public DNS, Zero Trust, networking, and application services.

Internal DNS — sometimes also referred to as private DNS — is one of the last pieces of enterprise infrastructure still managed separately from the rest of the network. Many organizations operate one platform for public DNS, another for internal DNS, and use cloud-native DNS services inside each cloud environment with separate security policies layered on top. None of these systems share a common control plane. Split-horizon DNS adds another layer of complexity, often requiring multiple DNS environments to remain synchronized so internal and external users receive different answers for the same hostname. When those systems drift, outages follow.

With Cloudflare Internal DNS, you get a single platform to manage public and private DNS resources, enforcing DNS policies and gaining visibility across your entire DNS stack. For Enterprise customers, this is included with Cloudflare Gateway without any additional charge.

Why customers are adopting Internal DNS

Consolidate DNS operations. Public and private DNS run on one platform, with one API, one audit Continue reading

NB583: TSMC Chips In Another $100 Billion for US Fabs; Can Data Centers Make It In New York?

Take a Network Break! In this week’s episode our red alert highlights two critical vulnerabilities in RabbitMQ, and we dig into listener follow-up about data centers in space. This week’s news coverage considers Apple’s $30 billion spending pledge to Broadcom, TSCM promising another $100 billion to build even more chip fabs in the US, and... Read more »

Is Indoor Standard Power The Fix You Need?

Every new feature that ships in the 6 GHz Wi-Fi band using the same language. You’re getting more power, more range, and more throughput. Who doesn’t like more? We all want more! Well, almost everyone wants more. The people that don’t want more are the ones that will lose something if you take it from them. In the case of 6 GHz, that’s the incumbent providers like microwave providers.

Spectrum for Rent

In order to get 6 GHz ratified concessions had to be made. One of those was that indoor 6 GHz was going to operate at a lower power level until a method of sorting out spectrum use could be formalized. That’s how we ended up with Low Power Indoor (LPI). Outdoor APs operate at Standard Power (SP) but run the risk of interfering with the incumbents who have a lot of pull with the FCC. That’s where Automated Frequency Coordination (AFC) comes into play.

AFC is the mechanism that opens the U-NII 5 and U-NII 7 bands at full power. It works because the AP uses AFC to ensure there is no interference with an incumbent source. That means knowing exactly where you are with GPS as well Continue reading

Worth Reading 071926


In fact, in Q1 2026, the Ethernet switch market grew faster than the overall server market did according to the latest statistics from IDC.

 


We are tempted to treat a capable language model as a knowledgeable colleague whose conclusions we can accept. It is more accurate, and more useful, to treat it as an untrusted component that produces plausible output which must be checked before it is relied upon.

 


In my view, MoQ occupies a middle ground between WebRTC (which is used for lots of video conferencing applications like Google Meet) and DASH (Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP) which powers most entertainment video streaming on the web.

 


Content consumption is detached from the website itself, as users rely on AI-driven systems to aggregate, summarize and contextualize information without visiting the original source. Instead of researching across multiple tabs, readers ask an AI system to do the work for them.

 


Shifting data centers from earth to space has become an alternative touted as solving concerns without generating new ones. In sun synchronous, low Earth orbit, orbiting data centers (“ODCs”) may have comparatively less environmental impact and lower operating costs.

UGREEN NASync DXP4800 GT Review and Initial Setup

UGREEN NASync DXP4800 GT Review and Initial Setup

Last year I bought a UGreen NASync DXP2800 for my homelab, along with two Seagate IronWolf 8TB HDDs. This was my first NAS, and I've been using it for just over a year now, and I'm very happy with it. I back up two of my Macs using Time Machine, store a lot of media, documents, photos, videos, etc, pretty much what a NAS is designed to do. I also run some Docker containers and Proxmox Backup Server as a VM. Even though it has an N100 CPU, so far I've never had a single issue in terms of resources. For £249, it was a bargain.

Fast forward to today, and UGreen released the NASync DXP4800 GT, a 4-bay NAS that comes with an AMD Ryzen Embedded R2514, dual 10GbE LAN, and dual M.2 NVMe SSD slots for £529 at the time of writing here in the UK. It looked like a great addition to my homelab setup, giving me a lot more power and flexibility compared to my current NAS. I was lucky enough to get my hands on a unit from UGreen to try out, so let's get into it.

Disclaimer - This unit was sent Continue reading

Cloudflare WAF protects WordPress applications from two high-severity vulnerabilities

Cloudflare has deployed new Web Application Firewall (WAF) protections for two critical vulnerabilities affecting WordPress. The protections address an Unauthenticated Remote Code Execution (RCE) vulnerability in WordPress's REST API and a related SQL Injection vulnerability.

The WordPress security team disclosed the vulnerabilities to Cloudflare before public release so that we could prepare protections for customers. Cloudflare has deployed the new rules to protect all customers, including those on free and paid plans, as long as their application traffic is proxied through the Cloudflare WAF. The rules were deployed at 17:03 UTC on July 17 2026.

WAF protections reduce exposure while customers update, but they are not a substitute for patching. WordPress has released fixes in version 7.0.2, with backports to affected earlier branches: 6.9.5, 6.8.6, and 7.1 Beta 2 (see release details). Versions earlier than 6.8 are not affected. WordPress is treating this as its highest-severity, highest-priority class of issue and is forcing automatic updates to affected sites, so most sites will be updated automatically. We still recommend confirming that you are on a patched release or the backports for your branch and follow the guidance in the official WordPress Continue reading

HN834: HPE Self-Driving Networks: The Next Evolution of Network Automation (Sponsored)

In this sponsored episode, HPE’s Sunalini Sankhavaram and Jose Tellado discuss the architectural evolution toward self-driving networks. Together with Ethan and Drew, they break down how integrating agentic AI enables an autonomous architecture capable of being proactive and not just reactive. They also discuss the importance of maintaining human trust in autonomous systems and how... Read more »

Mengenal Laba-Laba Ogre Faced dengan Penglihatan Malam Tajam

Laba-laba merupakan salah satu makhluk yang paling menarik dalam dunia hewan, dengan berbagai adaptasi unik yang memungkinkan mereka bertahan dan beradaptasi di lingkungan yang berbeda. Salah satu jenis laba-laba yang saat ini menarik perhatian para ilmuwan dan pecinta alam adalah ogre faced, atau dalam bahasa Indonesia dikenal sebagai laba-laba berwajah ogre. Keunikan utama dari laba-laba ini terletak pada kemampuan berburu menggunakan penglihatan malam yang sangat tajam, sebuah adaptasi yang luar biasa di dunia laba-laba.

Apa Itu Laba-Laba Ogre Faced?

Laba-laba ogre faced adalah jenis laba-laba yang termasuk dalam keluarga Deinopidae. Mereka mendapat nama “ogre faced” karena bentuk wajahnya yang khas dan menyerupai tokoh ogre dalam cerita rakyat, dengan mata yang besar dan menonjol di bagian depan kepala. Mata-mata besar ini bukan hanya untuk penampilan — mereka benar-benar berfungsi sebagai alat utama untuk berburu dalam kondisi gelap atau malam hari.

Adaptasi Penglihatan Malam Pada Laba-Laba Ogre Faced

Salah satu kelebihan utama laba-laba ogre faced adalah penglihatannya yang sangat tajam di malam hari. Mata mereka terdiri dari sejumlah besar mata kecil (merefleksikan adaptasi khusus), yang memungkinkan mereka untuk menangkap cahaya dengan maksimal. Keunggulan penglihatan ini sangat krusial untuk mendapatkan mangsa di lingkungan yang minim cahaya.

Penglihatan malam laba-laba ogre faced tidak Continue reading

Fakta Unik Sable Island, Kuburan Kapal di Laut Atlantik

Pulau Sable adalah sebuah tempat yang penuh misteri dan keunikan, sering kali disebut sebagai “Kuburan Kapal di Atlantik.” Saat ini, pulau ini terus menarik perhatian para peneliti, pecinta sejarah maritim, dan wisatawan berkat kisah-kisah legendarisnya serta kondisi alam yang khas. Artikel ini akan mengupas fakta unik tentang Sable Island dengan konteks terbaru yang berlaku, memberikan gambaran lengkap tentang daya tarik dan pentingnya pulau ini di era modern.

Sejarah dan Letak Geografis Sable Island

Sable Island terletak di Samudra Atlantik, sekitar 300 kilometer sebelah timur pesisir Nova Scotia, Kanada. Pulau ini memiliki panjang sekitar 42 kilometer dan lebar yang sangat sempit, yaitu hanya sekitar 1.5 kilometer. Posisi geografisnya yang terpencil dan berada di jalur perairan utama di Atlantik menjadikan Sable Island sebagai lokasi yang rawan kecelakaan kapal laut.

Sejak awal tahun ini, Sable Island masih dikenal sebagai “Kuburan Kapal di Atlantik” karena puluhan kapal karam yang terjadi di sekitarnya sepanjang sejarah. Angin kencang, gelombang besar, serta kabut tebal menjadi penyebab utama banyaknya kecelakaan di daerah ini. Hingga saat ini, pulau ini menjadi objek studi penting untuk memahami dinamika navigasi laut dan cuaca ekstrem.

Fakta Unik Sable Island yang Menarik untuk Diketahui

1. Habitat Kuda Liar yang Langka

Salah Continue reading

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