Pluribus recharges, expands software-defined network platform

Looking to simplify what it calls the complexity associated with current Software Defined Networking controllers and proprietary protocols that require significant changes to customer network architecture and operations, Pluribus has refreshed and expanded its own SDN offering to address those challenges.+More on Network World: Cisco talks 2017 SD-WAN predictions+Customers looking to SDN to change and improve legacy network constraints have found many times that the SDN implementation has been nothing short of complex, and includes its own hardware-bound problems, said Steven Shalita, vice president of marketing and business development at Pluribus Networks.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Pluribus recharges, expands software-defined network platform

Looking to simplify what it calls the complexity associated with current Software Defined Networking controllers and proprietary protocols that require significant changes to customer network architecture and operations, Pluribus has refreshed and expanded its own SDN offering to address those challenges.+More on Network World: Cisco talks 2017 SD-WAN predictions+Customers looking to SDN to change and improve legacy network constraints have found many times that the SDN implementation has been nothing short of complex, and includes its own hardware-bound problems, said Steven Shalita, vice president of marketing and business development at Pluribus Networks.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Ericsson’s 1Q Revenue Plummets 11%, Company Faces More Cuts

The company's cost reduction plan didn't go far enough.

MegaSwitch: an interesting new data center fabric

Data center fabrics are built today using spine and leaf fabrics, lots of fiber, and a lot of routers. There has been a lot of research in all-optical solutions to replace current designs with something different; MegaSwitch is a recent paper that illustrates the research, and potentially a future trend, in data center design. The basic idea is this: give every host its own fiber in a ring that reaches to every other host. Then use optical multiplexers to pull off the signal from each ring any particular host needs in order to provide a switchable set of connections in near real time. The figure below will be used to explain.

In the illustration, there are four hosts, each of which is connected to an electrical switch (EWS). The EWS, in turn, connects to an optical switch (OWS). The OWS channels the outbound (transmitted) traffic from each host onto a single ring, where it is carried to every other OWS in the network. The optical signal is terminated at the hop before the transmitter to prevent any loops from forming (so A’s optical signal is terminated at D, for instance, assuming the ring runs clockwise in the diagram).

The receive Continue reading

Would Verizon really publish my unlisted landline number?

The question occurs: What will happen if I cancel Verizon’s “Non-Published Service,” which for a ridiculously unjustifiable fee of $5.25 a month keeps my landline unlisted and my time at home almost entirely uninterrupted by scammers and robocalls.If I cancel this alleged “service,” will Verizon really punish me by publishing my number – unlisted now for 10 years – against my will and even if I first ask politely that they not do so?I know what you’re thinking: Of course, they will, they’re not only a cold-hearted corporation, they’re a carrier, for crying out loud. I, too, figure they will treat me like a shop owner who refuses to pay protection money: “Nice quiet dinnertimes you have going there; would be a shame if something happened to them.” But you never know for sure until you ask, right?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Would Verizon really publish my unlisted landline number?

The question occurs: What will happen if I cancel Verizon’s “Non-Published Service,” which for a ridiculously unjustifiable fee of $5.25 a month keeps my landline unlisted and my time at home almost entirely uninterrupted by scammers and robocalls.If I cancel this alleged “service,” will Verizon really punish me by publishing my number – unlisted now for 10 years – against my will and even if I first ask politely that they not do so?I know what you’re thinking: Of course, they will, they’re not only a cold-hearted corporation, they’re a carrier, for crying out loud. I, too, figure they will treat me like a shop owner who refuses to pay protection money: “Nice quiet dinnertimes you have going there; would be a shame if something happened to them.” But you never know for sure until you ask, right?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FCC chairman to announce plans to repeal net neutrality

The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to announce plans to repeal the agency's 2015 net neutrality rules on Wednesday.Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, will likely announce a plan to reverse course on the 2-year-old regulations and end the agency's classification of broadband as a regulated, common-carrier service. In a Wednesday speech, Pai will reportedly announce that he is scheduling a vote for the FCC's May 18 meeting to begin the process of repealing the rules.Pai has called the net neutrality rules a mistake that "injected tremendous uncertainty into the broadband market." President Donald Trump, who appointed Pai as the FCC's chairman, has also criticized the regulations.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FCC chairman to announce plans to repeal net neutrality

The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to announce plans to repeal the agency's 2015 net neutrality rules on Wednesday.Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, will likely announce a plan to reverse course on the 2-year-old regulations and end the agency's classification of broadband as a regulated, common-carrier service. In a Wednesday speech, Pai will reportedly announce that he is scheduling a vote for the FCC's May 18 meeting to begin the process of repealing the rules.Pai has called the net neutrality rules a mistake that "injected tremendous uncertainty into the broadband market." President Donald Trump, who appointed Pai as the FCC's chairman, has also criticized the regulations.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How your company needs to train workers in cybersecurity

With workplace cyberattacks on the rise, industry experts are pressing businesses to train their workers to be more vigilant than ever to protect passwords and sensitive data and to recognize threats.“It is imperative for organizations of all sizes to instill among employees the critical role they play in keeping their workplace safe and secure,” said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, a group that promotes education on the safe and secure use of the internet. The group's members include such major technology companies as Cisco, Facebook, Google, Intel and Microsoft.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How your company needs to train workers in cybersecurity

With workplace cyberattacks on the rise, industry experts are pressing businesses to train their workers to be more vigilant than ever to protect passwords and sensitive data and to recognize threats.“It is imperative for organizations of all sizes to instill among employees the critical role they play in keeping their workplace safe and secure,” said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, a group that promotes education on the safe and secure use of the internet. The group's members include such major technology companies as Cisco, Facebook, Google, Intel and Microsoft.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IBM applies AI to factory QA

IBM's Watson artificial intelligence technology has found plenty of white-collar work in places like hospitals and banks, but soon it will be off to get its hands dirty on the factory floor.Working with ABB, a maker of industrial plant, IBM has developed a new AI assistant to help factory workers spot manufacturing defects on the production line.Connected to an existing industrial monitoring system, ABB Ability, it will help manufacturers improve speed, yield, and uptime, according to ABB.The Cognitive Visual Inspection system, as IBM calls it, pipes images from a UHD (ultra-high-definition) camera to an instance of IBM's Watson software that has been trained to detect and classify production faults in real time.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Virtual Switches Promise Simpler Software-Defined Data Centers

Pluribus' Adaptive Cloud Fabric operates without a controller.

Cisco switch taps into Time Sensitive Ethernet; software bolsters industrial network mgmt.

Cisco this week took the wraps off three products aimed at increasing the speed of communications while controlling and analyzing the substantial data stream of the factory floor.The products build on Cisco’s Connected Factory portfolio which offers a variety of technologies from networking and security to analytics the company says will help customers quickly and more securely integrate industrial automation and control with business systems while improving industrial and manufacturing operational costs and efficiency.+More on Network World: Ethernet: Are there worlds left to conquer?+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco switch taps into Time Sensitive Ethernet; software bolsters industrial network mgmt.

Cisco this week took the wraps off three products aimed at increasing the speed of communications while controlling and analyzing the substantial data stream of the factory floor.The products build on Cisco’s Connected Factory portfolio which offers a variety of technologies from networking and security to analytics the company says will help customers quickly and more securely integrate industrial automation and control with business systems while improving industrial and manufacturing operational costs and efficiency.+More on Network World: Ethernet: Are there worlds left to conquer?+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Mystery Company Outbids AT&T for Straight Path

Everyone’s guessing the mystery bidder is Verizon.

Developing Software The Right Way, with Intent and Carefulness

This blog post / write-up is long overdue. I’m the guy that’s gone from electronics and hardware person, to embedded software, software, networking and now back to software with a keen interest in programmable hardware. Whilst I haven’t had to quite start from scratch in software again, it’s been a long journey to get proficient. Therefore, perusing Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, conference notes and videos, occasionally something comes up which is interesting. Psychologically, coding is interesting (note how no-one says programmer any more? Who writes programs?). It gives away something about your personality, current learned/learning state and your happiness levels. It gives away how you view the world and how you handle danger. Seriously. I can hear those thoughts that say “Whatever dude”. Look at how some developers handle failure prone code. Do they check for errors in a shotgun style approach, or with the accuracy of a sniper?

What caught my eye back in January was a Tweet from one of my coding heroes, William Kennedy. The top one started a thought process off that I’ve been chewing on for months.

@goinggodotnet
Thinking about the diff between ignorance vs carelessness as it relates to writing software. These two words Continue reading

Sketchy rumor claims Apple will release two iPhone 8 models this year

Just when we thought we had a grasp on Apple's 2017 iPhone plans, a sketchy rumor has entered the fray and turned everything upside down. According to a recent report from Micgadget, Apple this year will release only two brand new iPhone models. Recall, most other rumors we've seen thus far pointed to Apple releasing three new iPhones this year: an iPhone 7s, an iPhone 7s Plus, and an edgeless iPhone 8 with an OLED display.Micgadget's alleged sources within Foxconn, however, seem to claim otherwise. Some our friends from Foxconn confirmed that Foxconn received an order for two new models. It’s mean that Apple will [release] two, not three models.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: AI driven networks

Few realize how little has changed in the way that carriers and operators build, utilize and manage their networks. Whether due to the fact that carrier-grade performance relies on stringent, rigid equipment, or because the industry is held captive by giants who enjoy the status quo, the sad fact is that the industry has stagnated over the years. With the advent of 5G, this ‘stability’ will likely soon to come to an end. The sheer amount of traffic, and the different types of traffic traversing the network, will require a different way of networking. Networking will need to evolve to a new level, one where more of today’s currently manual tasks will be handed off to automation. Networking will require the induction of artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data, leading to a more ‘cognitive, self-driven’ type of network. —ECI

The post Worth Reading: AI driven networks appeared first on rule 11 reader.

Amazon’s ambitious global cloud expansion plans

Public IaaS cloud providers have been on a dizzying streak of announcing and opening new data centers to power their operations, and according to the CEO of Amazon Web Services Andy Jassy, that’s not expected to slow down any time soon.“We are not close to being done expanding geographically,” Jassy said at AWS’s San Francisco Summit last week. “I think virtually every tier one country will have an AWS region over time and I think many of the emergent countries will as well.”+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: A peek inside Amazon’s cloud, from global scale to custom hardware | Deep dive comparison of cloud storage options from Amazon, Microsoft and Google +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Amazon Will Comp You A Dash Button When You Buy 2, and Then $4.99 Once You Use It – Deal Alert

This deal on Amazon will net you 2 Dash Buttons for the price of 0, making this a no-brainer if you've been thinking about trying Dash out. Right now if you buy two Dash Buttons, Amazon will give you one of them for free, and then a $4.99 credit the first time you actually use it (list price on a Dash Button is $4.99). Amazon Dash is a simple Wi-Fi connected gadget that lets you order your favorite things with just the push of a button. Keep it by your washing machine, your pet food, or in the bathroom closet. When you notice you're running low, just press the button and Amazon ships it right out. Each button gets tied to a specific product from Amazon's library of over 300 brands, in categories such as (click each category to see samples) household supplies, beverage & grocery, health & personal care, beauty products, pets, kids & baby, and more. Access this deal on Amazon. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here