Historically, data center servers have used motherboards that included all key components on a single circuit board. The DC-SCM (Datacenter-ready Secure Control Module) decouples server management and security functions from a traditional server motherboard, enabling development of server management and security solutions independent of server architecture. It also provides opportunities for reducing server printed circuit board (PCB) material cost, and allows unified firmware images to be developed.
Today, Cloudflare is announcing that it has partnered with Lenovo to design a DC-SCM for our next-generation servers. The design specification has been published to the OCP (Open Compute Project) contribution database under the name Project Argus.
A baseboard management controller (BMC) is a specialized processor that can be found in virtually every server product. It allows remote access to the server through a network connection, and provides a rich set of server management features. Some of the commonly used BMC features include server power management, device discovery, sensor monitoring, remote firmware update, system event logging, and error reporting.
In a typical server design, the BMC resides on the server motherboard, along with other key components such as the processor, memory, CPLD and so on. This Continue reading
This week's Network Break covers a new set of Layer 1 switches from Arista for high-frequency trading, Ruckus announcing a (pre-ratified) Wi-Fi 7 AP, and AWS planning to require multi-factor authentication starting in mid-2024. MGM Resorts says it will take a $100 million hit due to a security breach, the UK finally fines Equifax for a 2017 breach, and Broadcom may have cleared a China hurdle to its VMware acquisition.
The post Network Break 451: Making A Ruckus About Wi-Fi 7; Arista Announces 25G Layer 1 Switches; AWS To Require MFA appeared first on Packet Pushers.
Bruce Schneier wrote a thoughtful article on the various perceptions of AI Risks including this gem:
As the science-fiction author Ted Chiang has said, fears about the existential risks of AI are really fears about the threat of uncontrolled capitalism, and dystopias like the paper clip maximizer are just caricatures of every start-up’s business plan.
Enjoy!
Bruce Schneier wrote a thoughtful article on the various perceptions of AI Risks including this gem:
As the science-fiction author Ted Chiang has said, fears about the existential risks of AI are really fears about the threat of uncontrolled capitalism, and dystopias like the paper clip maximizer are just caricatures of every start-up’s business plan.
Enjoy!
Imagine a future in which AIs automatically interpret—and enforce—laws.
Yet given how most of the internet is currently structured, our online expression largely depends on a set of private companies ranging from our direct Internet service providers and platforms, to upstream ISPs (sometimes called Tier 2 and 3), all Continue reading
I’m learning Rust. And I like playing with software defined radio (SDR). So the natural project to take on to learn Rust is to write a crate for making SDR applications. I call it RustRadio.
I have something that works, and seems pretty OK. But before marking a 1.0.0 release I want to see if I can get some opinions on my use of the Rust language. Both in terms of design, and more clippy-like suggestions.
Hence: Roast My Rust. File a github issue, email me, or tweet at me. Tell me I’m doing it wrong.
There are two API surfaces in RustRadio; the Block API (for writing blocks), and the Application API (for writing applications that use blocks). I want them to be good, and future proof, so that I don’t have to change every block and every application, after adding a feature or improving the API.
The blocks will need to be thread safe, even though the scheduler is currently single threaded.
For the streams between blocks I’ll eventually want to make a more
fancy, but unsafe
circular Continue reading
The Sun is about to turn upside down – magnetically speaking, of course.
Antitrust cases like the FTC’s hinge on “threshold” issues, fundamental elements that must be proven for a case to proceed. Here, those issues are threefold: market definition, documentary evidence, and the validity of Continue reading
On October 13, 2023, Cloudflare’s Cloudforce One Threat Operations Team became aware of a website hosting a Google Android Application (APK) impersonating the legitimate RedAlert - Rocket Alerts application (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.red.alert&hl=en&pli=1). More than 5,000 rockets have been launched into Israel since the attacks from Hamas began on October 7th 2023. RedAlert - Rocket Alerts developed by Elad Nava allows individuals to receive timely and precise alerts about incoming airstrikes. Many people living in Israel rely on these alerts to seek safety - a service which has become increasingly important given the newest escalations in the region.
Applications alerting of incoming airstrikes have become targets as only days ago, Pro-Palestinian hacktivist group AnonGhost exploited a vulnerability in another application, “Red Alert: Israel” by Kobi Snir. (https://cybernews.com/cyber-war/israel-redalert-breached-anonghost-hamas/) Their exploit allowed them to intercept requests, expose servers and APIs, and send fake alerts to some app users, including a message that a “nuclear bomb is coming”. AnonGhost also claimed they attacked other rocket alert applications, including RedAlert by Elad Nava. As of October 11, 2023, the RedAlert app was reportedly functioning normally.
In the last two days, a new malicious website (hxxps://redalerts[.]me) has Continue reading
Transitions in the datacenter take time.
It took Unix servers a decade, from 1985 through 1995, to supplant proprietary minicomputers and a lot of mainframe capacity that would have otherwise been bought. …
The post Everyone Is Chasing What Nvidia Already Has first appeared on The Next Platform.
Everyone Is Chasing What Nvidia Already Has was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.
Today on Heavy Networking we talk about how to get from a handful of Python scripts to a network automation platform that enables a self-service environment and incorporates the checks and governance required to make sure the automation doesn't blow up the network. Our sponsor today is Itential. Itential offers just such a network automation platform. We talk about how Itential makes it happen, including simple and more complex examples.
The post Heavy Networking 705: Evolving From Python To Platforms For Network Automation (Sponsored) appeared first on Packet Pushers.
Automation is a bit of theme recently on the Hedge. In this episode we’re joined by Wim Henderickx to talk about the Linux Foundation Nephio project, which adapts Kubernetes management into a cloud native network management platform. This new take on managing networks is definitely discovering.