Comparing Serverless Performance for CPU Bound Tasks
This post is a part of an ongoing series comparing the performance of Cloudflare Workers with other Serverless providers. In our past tests we intentionally chose a workload which imposes virtually no CPU load (returning the current time). For these tests, let's look at something which pushes hardware to the limit: cryptography.
tl;dr Cloudflare Workers are seven times faster than a default Lambda function for workloads which push the CPU. Workers are six times faster than Lambda@Edge, tested globally.
Slow Crypto
The PBKDF2 algorithm is designed to be slow to compute. It's used to hash passwords; its slowness makes it harder for a password cracker to do their job. Its extreme CPU usage also makes it a good benchmark for the CPU performance of a service like Lambda or Cloudflare Workers.
We've written a test based on the Node Crypto (Lambda) and the WebCrypto (Workers) APIs. Our Lambda is deployed to with the default 128MB of memory behind an API Gateway in us-east-1, our Worker is, as always, deployed around the world. I also have our function running in a Lambda@Edge deployment to compare that performance as well. Again, we're using Catchpoint to test from hundreds of locations around Continue reading
How To Minikube + Cloudflare
The following is a guest blog post by Nathan Franzen, Software Engineer at StackPointCloud. StackPointCloud is the creator of Stackpoint.io, the leading multi-cloud management platform for cloud native workloads. They are the developers of the Cloudflare Ingress Controller for Kubernetes.
Deploying Applications on Minikube with Argo Tunnels
This article assumes basic knowledge of Kubernetes. If you're not familiar with Kubernetes, visit https://kubernetes.io/docs/tutorials/kubernetes-basics/ to learn the basics.
Minikube is a tool which allows you to run a Kubernetes cluster locally. It’s not only a great way to experiment with Kubernetes, but also a great way to try out deploying services using a reverse tunnel.
At Cloudflare, we've created a product called Argo Tunnel which allows you to host services through a tunnel using Cloudflare as your edge. Tunnels provide a way to expose your services to the internet by creating a connection to Cloudflare's edge and routing your traffic over it. Since your service is creating its own outbound connection to the edge, you don’t have to open ports, configure a firewall, or even have a public IP address for your service. All traffic flows through Cloudflare, blocking attacks and intrusion attempts before they ever make it to Continue reading
Redirecting DNS Requests to Umbrella with FTD
A few days ago I shared an article that described redirecting DNS requests with ASA. A good use case for this might be if an organization is using Cisco Umbrella but there is no way to get every host is pointed toward the correct DNS server(s) in a timely manner. In that case, a configuration of destination NAT in the ASA can force those misconfigured clients to use one of the OpenDNS addresses.
This article is very similar, but we will share a method for doing this with Firepower Threat Defence. The concept is the same but all configuration is done in Firepower Management Console. Before starting on the NAT configuration, it is important to configure the following network objects (Objects, Object Management, Network).
- obj_any – 0.0.0.0/0
- Umbrella1 – 208.67.220.220
- Umbrella2 – 208.67.222.222
It is also important to confirm the existence of two port objects (Objects, Object Management, Network).
- DNS_over_TCP – TCP Port 53
- DNS_over_UDP – UDP Port 53
Most of the configuration will be done on the NAT policy for the device we are managing (Device, NAT, select edit for the appropriate NAT policy).
We will need four rules that Continue reading
Redirecting DNS Requests to Umbrella with FTD
A few days ago I shared an article that described redirecting DNS requests with ASA. A good use case for this might be if an organization is using Cisco Umbrella but there is no way to get every host is pointed toward the correct DNS server(s) in a timely manner. In that case, a configuration of destination NAT in the ASA can force those misconfigured clients to use one of the OpenDNS addresses.
This article is very similar, but we will share a method for doing this with Firepower Threat Defence. The concept is the same but all configuration is done in Firepower Management Console. Before starting on the NAT configuration, it is important to configure the following network objects (Objects, Object Management, Network).
- obj_any – 0.0.0.0/0
- Umbrella1 – 208.67.220.220
- Umbrella2 – 208.67.222.222
It is also important to confirm the existence of two port objects (Objects, Object Management, Network).
- DNS_over_TCP – TCP Port 53
- DNS_over_UDP – UDP Port 53
Most of the configuration will be done on the NAT policy for the device we are managing (Device, NAT, select edit for the appropriate NAT policy).
We will need four rules that Continue reading
Network Notes: EIGRP
EIGRP is an 'advanced' distance vector routing protocol and is the evolution of IGRP. Originally EIGRP was a Cisco proprietary protocol but in 2013 Cisco announced its intention to make EIGRP on open standard. At the time of writing there is an only informational RFC: RFC7868. ...continue reading
We’ve Added New Dates To Our Bootcamp Calendar!
CCIE Routing & Switching:
Online Graded Practice Lab
January 2-4
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5 Day Bootcamp
January 7-11
Written Exam Bootcamp
January 7-11
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January 28 – February 3
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CCIE Security:
5 Day Bootcamp
January 7-11
Written Exam Bootcamp
January 14-18
March 25-29
Lab Exam Bootcamp
January 21-27
February 25 – March 3
April 1-7
June 17-23
CCIE Data Center:
Lab Exam Bootcamp
January 7-13
February 4-10
March 18-24
April 29 – May 5
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CCIE Service Provider:
Lab Exam Bootcamp
March 18-24
June 3-9
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Lab Exam Bootcamp
January 28 – February 3
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CCNP Routing & Switching:
7 Day Bootcamp
January 28 – February 3
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5 Day Bootcamp
February 25 – March 1
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CCNA Security:
5 Day Bootcamp
April 1-5
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Visit our Bootcamps Site to purchase your course today!
Weekend Reads 070618
The world of scholarly communication is broken. Giant, corporate publishers with racketeering business practices and profit margins that exceed Apple’s treat life-saving research as a private commodity to be sold at exorbitant profits. Only around 25 per cent of the global corpus of research knowledge is ‘open access’, or accessible to the public for free and without subscription, which is a real impediment to resolving major problems, such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Continue reading
Kernel of Truth episode 03 — Linux: the kernel, the community & beyond
Listen, you can’t name an open networking podcast “Kernel of Truth,” and NOT have an episode dedicated to the Linux kernel! So we got two of the brightest, most enthusiastic Linux experts we know into the recording booth and let them wax poetic about the language of the data center. As I soon found out, it’s harder to get Linux fans to STOP talking about Linux that it is to get them going — but hey, that just makes my job as host a lot easier! There’s nothing like listening to knowledgeable people discuss something they’re passionate about, and that’s what we’ve got in store for you.
In this episode, I’m joined by Roopa Prabhu, leader of the kernel team at Cumulus Networks, and Shrijeet Mukherjee, Cumulus’ former VP of Engineering. Specifically, our discussion revolves around the Linux kernel and Linux community. We get into some pretty interesting questions: why Linux in the data center? What has Cumulus contributed to the kernel? How has the prolific Linux community evolved? What the heck is a “boffin”?? I’m not a fan of spoilers, (thanks for ruining Avengers: Infinity War for me, Twitter!) so I’ll let you guys tune in and find Continue reading
Small Wireless Providers Defend Huawei’s Business in the U.S.
Wireless carriers say not being able to use Huawei equipment would “gravely impair” their ability to do business. And they can’t afford to “rip and replace” their equipment.
Caring for Fibre Optic Cables. Damaged is Worse Than Broken
Why Replacing The Fibre Optic Patch Lead Often Fixes Network ProblemsNetQ is now a 2018 “New Product” Award Winner!
Cumulus NetQ is on FIRE!!
Just one year ago, Cumulus launched a new product that fundamentally changes the way organizations validate and troubleshoot not just their network, but the entire Linux ecosystem as a whole. The product was named NetQ (think Network Query). It provides deep insight on the connectivity of all network devices either now or in the past — including all switches, Linux hosts, inside Linux hosts (Containers, direct interaction with container orchestration tools like Kubernetes, VMs, Openstack environment) and any other devices running a Linux-based operating system connected to the network. No more manual box-by-box troubleshooting, no more wondering what happened last night, no more pulling cables to find where the issue was stemming from, no more finger pointing, no more human-led misconfigurations and no more frustration of not having sight past the edge of the network.
Instead, Cumulus NetQ, the agent-based technology that runs on anything Linux, changes all that. NetQ brings the efficiencies of web-scale to network operations with an algorithmic, preventive, centralized telemetry system built for the modern automated cloud network. NetQ aggregates and maintains data from across all Linux nodes in the data center in a time-series database, making the fabric-wide events, Continue reading
5 Serverless Ecosystem Players You Need to Know
A recent survey from DigitalOcean found that half of developers said they did not have a strong understanding of serverless. Of those, a vast majority said they plan to research the topic within the next 12 months.
The Privacy Pickle
I recorded a fantastic episode of The Network Collective last night with some great friends from the industry. The topic was privacy. Originally I thought we were just going to discuss how NAT both was and wasn’t a form of privacy and how EUI-64 addressing wasn’t the end of days for people worried about being tracked. But as the show wore on, I realized a few things about privacy.
Booming In Peace
My mom is a Baby Boomer. We learn about them as a generation based on some of their characteristics, most notably their rejection of the values of their parents. One of things they hold most dear is their privacy. They grew up in a world where they could be private people. They weren’t living in a 1 or 2 room house with multiple siblings. They had the right of privacy. They could have a room all to themselves if they so chose.
Baby Boomers, like my mom, are intensely private adults. They marvel at the idea that targeted advertisements can work for them. When Amazon shows them an ad for something they just searched for they feel like it’s a form of dark magic. They also aren’t trusting Continue reading
Security Remains Top Public Cloud Concern, SDxCentral Report Says
A new survey from SDxCentral found 71 percent or respondents use public clouds — up from just 43 percent three years ago.
SDxCentral’s Weekly Roundup — July 6, 2018
Apple snubs Intel's 5G modem for its next-gen iPhone; ZTE names a new CEO; Ericsson opens a 5G lab in Delhi, India; InterDigital shows a 5G control plane.
Short Take – Complexity Sells
In this Network Collective Short Take, Russ White examines why our industry continually introduces complexity even though most engineers recognize that simpler solutions are usually more robust and maintainable.
Russ White
The post Short Take – Complexity Sells appeared first on Network Collective.
A Deeper Dive Into Public DNS Resolver Quad9
There are plenty of public DNS resolvers. The best known was Google Public DNS i.e. 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4 for IPv4 and 2001:4860:4860::8888 and 2001:4860:4860::8844 for IPv6. But there are a few other options available now, each with different policies and technical features.
Two new Public DNS resolvers were recently launched. Quad9 (launched Nov 2017) and 1dot1dot1dot1 (launched Apr 2018). We have already covered 1.1.1.1 in detail in a recent blog. So let’s talk about Quad9 (9.9.9.9).
The Global Cyber Alliance (GCA), an organization founded by a partnership of law enforcement (New York County District Attorney and City of London Police) and research (Center for Internet Security – CIS) organizations focused on combating systemic cyber risk in real, measurable ways, partnered with IBM and Packet Clearing House (PCH) to launch a Global Public Recursive DNS Resolver Service. Quad9 protects users from accessing known malicious websites, leveraging threat intelligence from multiple industry leaders; it currently blocks up to two million threats per day.
A handy little infographic on the Quad9 website helps show how it works. Essentially, you set up Quad 9 as your Continue reading
Show 397: The Future Of Networking With Peter Wohlers
Our next installment of the Future Of Networking series brings Peter Wohlers to the podcast.
Way back in the early history of Packet Pushers, we received a presentation from Peter when he worked at Force10 as part of a Tech Field Day event. It was blunt, knowledgeable, cynical and nerd-funny.
Today Peter is VP of Engineering at a large CDN. I invited him to come on talk about the current and future state of the industry.
We discuss the effect of cloud computing on the networking industry and its impact on skills and careers, the early hype around SDN and where it stands today, how much skill you really need in coding, the rise of APIs in networking, and a passionate debate about whether different networks are actually all that unique.
Show Links:
TFD Bonus 3 Peter Wohlers of Force10 Presents to Tech Field Day San Jose 09/16/2010 – Packet Pushers
The post Show 397: The Future Of Networking With Peter Wohlers appeared first on Packet Pushers.
EdgeConnex Expands Denver Data Center Footprint, Strikes Megaport, Colt Deals
The expansion is in the form of a new 115,000-square foot building that can support up to 21 megawatts of capacity.