The whois and jwhois commands allow you to retrieve a lot of information on Internet domains--likely a lot more than you might imagine. Here's how these commands work and how they can be useful.To get started, you probably already use nslookup to check on domain names. When you do, you'll see output like this:$ nslookup networkworld.com Server: 127.0.0.53 Address: 127.0.0.53#53 Non-authoritative answer: Name: networkworld.com Address: 151.101.2.165 Name: networkworld.com Address: 151.101.66.165 Name: networkworld.com Address: 151.101.194.165 Name: networkworld.com Address: 151.101.130.165 The nslookup command queries name servers, so its output provides IP addresses for the queried domain and verifies the domain name is valid, but whois commands provide extensive details on the domain registration, domain status, responsible organizations, their locations, etc., giving you a lot more insight into domains.To read this article in full, please click here
In my surveys of enterprises, the number worried about vendor lock-in has hovered around 90% for 30 years. When you ask enterprises how they avoid it, they respond “standard interfaces” or “open-source”. Even today, the percentage who include “managing APIs” in their list of lock-in avoidance measures is in the statistical noise level, but APIs are perhaps the fastest-growing lock-in problem today, and they’re surely going to become a major problem in the future.API stands for “application programming interface”, but the term is broadly used in software today to describe the interfaces between all the software components used in an application, a cloud, or even a network. APIs let pieces of software talk with each other, and they’re essential in every situation where software components rather than hardware devices are connected. What’s creating a challenge in lock-in from APIs today is the fact that networking is shifting more to software, which means it’s shifting to a model where APIs are just as important as those standard interfaces, and enterprises aren’t tracking that important shift.To read this article in full, please click here
At its annual re:Invent conference, Amazon Web Services announced the newest generation of its Arm-based Graviton processors, the Graviton 3, which the company claims will be 25% or more faster than the last-generation chips in key workloads.The 25% is likely for integer workloads, because AWS also said the Graviton 3 boasts double the floating-point performances (FLOP), a three-fold performance improvement in machine-learning workloads, and better cryptographic performance. AWS also claims the new chips will use 60% less power.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] The chips will power new EC2 C7g instances in the AWS cloud. The chips and instances will be the first to use DDR5 memory, which delivers 50% higher bandwidth than DDR4 but with a much lower power draw.To read this article in full, please click here
Cisco Systems has been hit with an unusual double-whammy of issues, one of them in software and one in hardware.First, the more serious issue, a firewall flaw. Security researcher Positive Technologies, which hunts for security vulnerabilities, posted a warning that a vulnerability in Cisco firewall appliances could allow hackers to cause them to fail.The problem is in the Cisco Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) and Cisco Firepower Threat Defense (FTD) firewalls. Forrester Research says there are more than a million of them deployed worldwide. Positive assessed the severity level of vulnerability as high and recommended users should install updates, which are available, as soon as possible.To read this article in full, please click here
The dmesg command displays the content of the kernel's message buffer since the system's most recent boot. It displays a lot of details on how the system is working and problems it might be running into that you won't normally see. That can be a lot of data, but there are several tricks for paring it down.For example, Even though the system queried below has only been up a little more than three days, it's collected more than a thousand lines of data.$ dmesg | wc -l 1034 Linux security: Cmd provides visibility, control over user activity [Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] If you type only dmesg, you will see all available data. Sudo access is not required. You can also pipe the output of dmesg to the more and less commands to scan through it or simply pipe the output to grep, but the command itself provides a lot of options for selecting the most relevant information from the file.To read this article in full, please click here
Open standards for radio access networking (RAN) technology have long been hyped as a way for mobile network operators to control the costs of 5G deployment, but some experts are beginning to question that potential, and legal difficulties for vendors working on the standard continue to arise.The idea behind open RAN is relatively simple. Using a standards-based approach to carrier radio equipment would allow carriers to mix and match the gear they use in base stations--freeing them from the traditional vertical integration of such equipment and potentially making the market more competitive, driving prices down.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] But this requires a considerable degree of coordination from companies like Ericsson, Nokia and Samsung that aren’t used to working cooperatively with one another. And some reports suggest that the hype around open RAN is considerably exaggerated.To read this article in full, please click here
Wi-Fi 6 is the most sought-after wireless LAN technology by enterprises, but the global chip shortage is preventing it from getting into the hands of IT pros as quickly as desired, according to the Dell’Oro Group.The usual amount of lead time required for a purchase of new Wi-Fi equipment is two to four weeks, according to the report’s author, Tam Dell’Oro, the CEO and founder of the group. “Now, we’re looking at between three and six months,” she said.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] The worldwide dearth of silicon is to blame. According to Dell’Oro, the biggest enterprise Wi-Fi vendors were the first to feel the pinc eharlier this year. Cisco, Extreme, and HPE/Aruba reported in their second-quarter results that the shortage was affecting supply, and many more US and European sellers reported similar problems in the third quarter.To read this article in full, please click here
At the transportation organization where I work, we employ two Cradlepoint mobile-router models in our vehicles: the industrial IBR-1700 vehicular routers in our 97 buses and eight smaller IBR-900 vehicular routers in maintenance trucks, operations vans, and other multipurpose vans.The reason for these cellular routers in the buses is to provide a WAN connection to systems on the buses including GPS, electronic signage, passenger counters, and fareboxes.How they are networked These information-gathering systems connect to the primary processing device on the vehicles called the medius box, which is part of our computer-aided dispatch/automatic vehicle location (CAD/AVL) setup. The medius boxes are connected to the Cradlepoint routers, which link over 4G LTE to a server that collects and manages all of the vehicle’s location and onboard media data.To read this article in full, please click here
LoRa is living up to its name, literally.A shortened version of “long range” (ironic!), LoRa is a wide-area wireless modulation technique that encodes information on radio waves. LoRa, which has been around since 2015, is derived from Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) technology and uses chirp pulses to transmit small bits of data. It also uses very little power. The proprietary technology is owned by semiconductor supplier Semtech Corp[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] LoRa’s value is in transmitting data for sensors and other connected devices that require little power to operate. Not only can LoRa withstand disturbances, it can transmit data at longer ranges than better known wireless technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. So long, in fact, that demonstrations of LoRa’s transmission capabilities now must extend into near space.To read this article in full, please click here
AWS is now offering a mainframe service that promises to help Big Iron customers interested in moving apps to the cloud cut that migration time by two-thirds.The goal of AWS Migration Acceleration Program for Mainframe is to get those customers off of the Big Iron “as fast as they possibly can” in order to take better advantage of the cloud, according to Adam Selipsky, CEO of AWS, speaking at Amazon’s AWS re:Invent conference. [Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] “It can be a messy business and involves a lot of moving pieces, and it isn’t something that people really want to do on their own,” Selipsky said. “And while AWS partners can help with the transition, it can still take a long time.”To read this article in full, please click here
There are a number of ways to add text to files on Linux systems without having to open an editor, such as the echo and printf commands. On the other hand, when you need to add A LOT of text, the technique you use can make the job tedious or a piece of cake.This post describes some of the commands you can use and the problems and benefits you can expect.Also see: How to loop forever in bash on LinuxThe echo commands append lines of text to existing files in a straightforward way:To read this article in full, please click here
The nexus of the ongoing competition among nations and corporations (such as Google and IBM) to demonstrate quantum primacy has shifted to a university in China where not one, but two experimental quantum computers reportedly have shown that quantum primacy is attainable.Quantum primacy is when a quantum computer is able to solve computational problems that are beyond the ability of traditional “classical” computers, yoked as they are to their quaint system of ones and zeroes.Researchers show quantum computers can reason Don’t get me wrong; classical computers long have served with distinction. So did the abacus in its day. However, as society’s computational challenges became more complex--such as splitting a restaurant bill 11 ways among your cheap and quarrelsome family members--this ancient calculating device eventually gave way to the digital calculator.To read this article in full, please click here
Enterprise infrastructure that supports data center, cloud and edge networks could someday be dominated by one of its tiniest components--the smartNIC or data processing unit (DPU).Use of smartNICs in the enterprise is still evolvinging, but the idea behind them--offloading server CPU duties onto a separate device to free up server cycles--is not new. Specialized hardware accelerators such as graphics processing units (GPU), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), and focused NICs have offloaded CPU workloads in telco, financial, and scientific application processing. NaaS is the future but it's got challenges Looking ahead, users and vendors see a way to reduce enterprise costs, improve performance and increase security with smartNICs.To read this article in full, please click here
The FCC auction for a prime band of 5G wireless spectrum has attracted $21.8 billion in bids, underscoring the importance of the frequency blocks that range from 3.5GHz to 3.55GHz.Of the 4,060 blocks available for discrete geographic areas throughout the country, all but 19 sold during the 29-day auction, according to the FCC.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] Carriers have been hungrily buying up this mid-range spectrum that some call the Goldilocks Zone because its transmissions propagate over a significant distance and also support high data rates. Earlier this year an auction for blocks of spectrum in the 3.7GHz (C-band) range raised more than $81 billion. To read this article in full, please click here
Xilinx has introduced its latest data-center accelerator, the Alveo U55C, which it says is its most powerful accelerator yet thanks to a memory change.For the most part, the FPGA-powered Alveo U55C is similar to its predecessor, Alveo U280. But the U280 has 8GB of HBM2 memory and 16GB of DDR4 DRAM, while the U55C comes with 16GB of HBM2 memory, and no DDR4. HBM2 is considerably faster and more expensive than DDR4 memory.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] By going to all HBM2 and removing the DDR4, Xilinx is able to increase performance and considerably reduce power and size. The Alveo U55C card is a single-slot full height, half length (FHHL) form factor vs. the full height, full length, dual width form of the U280. It also has a much lower power draw, 150W vs. 215W.To read this article in full, please click here
The two new spinoffs on the block—Kyndryl and VMware—have expanded their relationship and promised to help customers with their app modernization and multicloud plans.Under the agreement the companies say they will focus on developing a range of services aimed at multicloud infrastructure and management, digital workspace, managed applications, and other areas.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] “Our combination with VMware is especially important as Kyndryl continues to invest in our industry-leading skills in key areas, most notably in cloud, network and edge computing, and in security and resiliency services,” said Martin Schroeter, Chairman and CEO of Kyndryl in a statement. Through previous agreements, Kyndryl already has thousands of staffers with VMware certifications.To read this article in full, please click here
Cisco, Fortinet, HPE-Aruba, and VMware lead the evolving and highly-competitive software-defined wide-area networking (SD-WAN) market according to a new report from IDC. “MarketScape: Worldwide SD-WAN Infrastructure 2021 Vendor Assessment” looks at the capabilities of 12 SD-WAN infrastructure vendors evaluating then on a core set of SD-WAN features such as WAN routing, WAN link management, application-based policy controls, and application steering and prioritization.Beyond these features, most current SD-WAN packages include others such as optimized connections to public clouds (IaaS and SaaS), WAN-link visibility and analytics, end-user experience monitoring, zero-touch provisioning, and forward error correction, according to the author of the report, Brandon Butler, IDC research manager, Enterprise Networks.To read this article in full, please click here
Researchers at Singapore University of Technology and Design has released a proof-of-concept exploit for a family of vulnerabilities it has dubbed BrakTooth, which affects the software development kit used to program Bluetooth chipsets using the ESP32 standard.BrakTooth affects the Bluetooth Classic protocol, which is widely used in laptops, smartphones and audio devices. The team says 16 flaws make up BrakTooth, the effects of which, if exploited, range in severity from crashing affected systems to remote code execution.The most serious flaw, dubbed V1 by the team, targets the ESP32 SoCs used in industrial automation, smart home, and fitness applications, among others. Certain models of MacBooks and iPhones are known to be affected. Because the ESP32 BT Library does not correctly run an out-of-bounds check on certain types of inputs, a malicious request to the system can allow an attacker to inject code onto a vulnerable system and potentially take control.To read this article in full, please click here
Most of us have dealt with hardware that stays in service well past its planned end-of-life date or that, for reasons of budget and bureaucracy, doesn’t even make it into service until well into its lifespan.Step one in planning and prioritizing server-hardware upgrades is inventorying and evaluating your existing hardware, which may seem like an appropriate job for an IT intern, it’s also a perfect job for PowerShell.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] Read system telemetry with PowerShell The primary PowerShell cmdlet throughout this discussion is Get-WmiObject. Most server admins will have at least a passing familiarity with Windows Management Interface (WMI), a set of telemetry points to help monitor performance and server health, among other things. WMI is frequently used to filter the application of Group Policy Objects to only those computers that meet a specific set of criteria. WMI is Microsoft’s implementation of Common Information Model (CIM), which is an industry standard. The Get-WmiObject cmdlet is able to access both WMI and CIM classes.To read this article in full, please click here
Palo Alto Networks has bolstered its security software to better protect enterprise Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications.The company rolled out a new version of its core cloud-security package, Prisma Cloud 3.0, which includes the ability to code security directly into SaaS applications. The package includes a cloud-access security broker (CASB) to control access to cloud resources.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.] Prisma is a cloud-based security bundle that includes access control, advanced threat protection, user-behavior monitoring, and other services that promise to protect enterprise applications and resources. Managed through a single console, Prisma includes firewall as a service, Zero Trust network access and a secure web gateway. To read this article in full, please click here