Archive

Category Archives for "Networking"

CRTC Decision Creates a Canadian Framework for Net Neutrality

Yesterday’s decision by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) should be welcomed by advocates of net neutrality. Though not an ideal decision in certain respects, and continuing to make clear the need for specific, updated legislation on online connectivity and communication, it does nevertheless enshrine some of key principles of net neutrality in the CRTC’s regulatory framework.

Mark Buell

A Road to Open Networking:  Focused Deliverables, Measurable ROI, Same Sheet of Music

Every day at Pica8 we are supporting a global customer base involved in creative, leading–edge applications using the PicOS NOS on white box switches.  We develop the software to meet the latest challenges of complex protocol sets, high performance switching requirements and operational demands.

We often face the RFI/RFQ that appears to be boilerplate for incumbent switching solutions – the protocol set is classic legacy L2/L3, and is comprehensive.  Customers may have working solutions, but they wonder if they can achieve better ROI with “white box” and independent Network Operating System software.  It can be difficult – DevOps and network programmability call for organizational transformation, and a problem-free rollout may be elusive.

Here’s a project example that elucidates the gradual approach that gets people involved and engaged. After describing a sequence of steps, I’ll highlight the transformation that has been achieved.  And YES, CLI is not dead.

Steps to Deployment

–          Team responds to an RFI for access and data center network switches
–          Customer provides an RFI response, and Pica8 receives customer-defined Proof of Concept requirements
–          Participate in PoC onsite lab testing, get the scorecard – 2 months
–          Roll up sleeves and deliver Continue reading

Fake heads and robot probes: testing smartphones prior to launch

On the shelves of a laboratory near San Francisco sit tanks and tanks of mysterious-looking liquids. Labels identify some as simulations of human heads, while others relate to muscles.It sounds like the ghoulish headquarters of a mad scientist, but it isn't. It's the Silicon Valley offices of UL, a product testing organization previously known as Underwriters Laboratory, and these liquids play an important part in smartphone safety.You might not know UL, but you can probably find its logo on a number of products around your home. Martyn Williams Two UL logos are seen on a computer power supply. The company tests products to ensure they meet safety requirements.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Fake heads and robot probes: testing smartphones prior to launch

On the shelves of a laboratory near San Francisco sit tanks and tanks of mysterious-looking liquids. Labels identify some as simulations of human heads, while others relate to muscles.It sounds like the ghoulish headquarters of a mad scientist, but it isn't. It's the Silicon Valley offices of UL, a product testing organization previously known as Underwriters Laboratory, and these liquids play an important part in smartphone safety.You might not know UL, but you can probably find its logo on a number of products around your home. Martyn Williams Two UL logos are seen on a computer power supply. The company tests products to ensure they meet safety requirements.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Drupal fixes critical access bypass vulnerability

The Drupal project has released a patch to fix a critical access bypass vulnerability that could put websites at risk of hacking.The vulnerability does not have the highest severity level based on Drupal's rating system, but is serious enough that the platform's developers decided to also release a patch for a version of the content management system that's no longer officially supported.Successful exploitation of the vulnerability can lead to a complete compromise of data confidentiality and website integrity, but only Drupal-based websites with certain configurations are affected.To be vulnerable, a website needs to have the RESTful Web Services enabled and to allow PATCH requests. Furthermore, the attacker needs to be able to register a new account on the website or to gain access to an existing one, regardless of its privileges.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Drupal fixes critical access bypass vulnerability

The Drupal project has released a patch to fix a critical access bypass vulnerability that could put websites at risk of hacking.The vulnerability does not have the highest severity level based on Drupal's rating system, but is serious enough that the platform's developers decided to also release a patch for a version of the content management system that's no longer officially supported.Successful exploitation of the vulnerability can lead to a complete compromise of data confidentiality and website integrity, but only Drupal-based websites with certain configurations are affected.To be vulnerable, a website needs to have the RESTful Web Services enabled and to allow PATCH requests. Furthermore, the attacker needs to be able to register a new account on the website or to gain access to an existing one, regardless of its privileges.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

18% off AUKEY SoundTank Bluetooth Water Resistant Speaker with 30-Hour Playtime – DealPost

Weighing in at just over a pound, the AUKEY Sountank is the ideal lightweight, water resistant companion speaker for your all your adventures. The dual 5 watt speaker drivers  are powered by a 2600mAh rechargeable battery delivering up to 30 continuous hours of wireless audio.  Utilizing the latest in Bluetooth audio with A2DP, improved connection stability, faster pairing, lower latency, and lower power consumption from connected devices when wirelessly streaming audio across distances up to 33ft.  This speaker has a durable silicone casing providing a rugged layer of protection from daily wear and tear.  This speaker recently received a 4 out of 5 star rating (read review).  The Aukey's list price of $54.99 has been reduced 18% to $44.99. (See it on Amazon)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple will return heat generated by data center to warm up homes

Apple is building a new data center in Denmark, and it has some interesting ideas on how to power the data center with renewable energy, while also giving back to the community.Excess heat generated by the data center will be captured and returned to the local district's heating system, which will warm up homes in the community.The data center in the Jutland region will be partly powered by recycling waste products from farms. Apple is working with Aarhus University on a system that passes agricultural waste through a digester to generate methane, which is then used to power the data center.The digester reaction turns some of the waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer, which Apple returns to local farmers to use on their fields. It's a "mutually beneficial relationship," Apple said in its environment report for 2016, released this week.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple will return heat generated by data center to warm up homes

Apple is building a new data center in Denmark, and it has some interesting ideas on how to power the data center with renewable energy, while also giving back to the community.Excess heat generated by the data center will be captured and returned to the local district's heating system, which will warm up homes in the community.The data center in the Jutland region will be partly powered by recycling waste products from farms. Apple is working with Aarhus University on a system that passes agricultural waste through a digester to generate methane, which is then used to power the data center.The digester reaction turns some of the waste into nutrient-rich fertilizer, which Apple returns to local farmers to use on their fields. It's a "mutually beneficial relationship," Apple said in its environment report for 2016, released this week.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Hackers use old Stuxnet-related bug to carry out attacks

Users that run unpatched software beware. Hackers have been relying on an old software bug tied to the Stuxnet worm to carry out their attacks.Microsoft may have initially patched the flaw in 2010, but it's nevertheless become the most widespread software exploit, according to security firm Kaspersky Lab.On Thursday, Kaspersky posted research examining the use of exploits, or malicious programs designed to take advantage of certain software flaws. Once an exploit goes to work, it can typically pave the way for other malicious programs to install onto a computer.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Hackers use old Stuxnet-related bug to carry out attacks

Users that run unpatched software beware. Hackers have been relying on an old software bug tied to the Stuxnet worm to carry out their attacks.Microsoft may have initially patched the flaw in 2010, but it's nevertheless become the most widespread software exploit, according to security firm Kaspersky Lab.On Thursday, Kaspersky posted research examining the use of exploits, or malicious programs designed to take advantage of certain software flaws. Once an exploit goes to work, it can typically pave the way for other malicious programs to install onto a computer.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft commits to twice yearly updates to Windows 10, Office 365

Microsoft is offering IT pros some new guidance on when they can expect major feature updates for Windows 10, Office 365's client applications, and System Center Configuration Manager.Office and Windows are slated to receive two major patches per year, one in March and the other in September. SCCM will be updated in time with those releases to facilitate deployments. That means the next major update to Windows 10, codenamed Redstone 3, is due out in September.On top of that, Microsoft confirmed that each feature release of Windows 10 will be supported for 18 months after it is first made generally available.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Qualcomm: First Windows 10 ARM PC coming in the fourth quarter

If you want a Windows 10 PC that doesn't have an x86 chip from Intel or AMD, your wish will be granted in the fourth quarter.Qualcomm said the first cellular laptop with Windows 10 and its ARM-based Snapdragon 835 will come by the end of the year."Our Snapdragon 835 is expanding into mobile PC designs running Windows 10," and it's scheduled to launch in the fourth quarter, said Steve Mollenkopf, CEO of Qualcomm, according to a transcript of a Wednesday earnings call posted on Seeking Alpha. Until now, Windows 10 has worked only on x86 chips. Qualcomm and Microsoft are collaborating to make the ARM-based Windows 10 PCs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

PCAP t-shirts just in time for CLUS17

Hey guys, I just wanted to drop a quick note to let you know that I’ve relaunched my teespring shirt campaigns with enough time that you should get your orders before Cisco Live US 2017. I’ve got several types of clothing under each design, so make sure you look to see if I have what you’re looking for. This campaign is only open for 14 days – so get yours while you can!

As usual, send comments / suggestions / etc to @tonhe on twitter.

Thanks again, and I hope to see you at #CLUS17

Click below to enter my teespring storefront

The post PCAP t-shirts just in time for CLUS17 appeared first on Router Jockey.

Dunkin’ runs on AWS

“America runs on Dunkin” is the company’s official slogan. But, now, you could say Dunkin runs on AWS.Amazon Web Services, the IaaS public cloud computing provider, announced this week that the venerable New England-based coffee chain Dunkin’ Donuts has signed up as a customer.+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: Battle of the clouds Amazon vs. Azure vs. Google +Dunkin’, along with sister brand Baskin’-Robbins have made encouraged customers in recent years to use the company’s mobile applications to track and make purchases and rack up rewards. Dunkin’, in a release, says it now hosts the back-ends of those systems in AWS’s cloud, along with other enterprise apps that used to be hosted in an on-premises environment. Dunkin’ says events like National Coffee Day, National Donut Day, as well as the holiday season create peaks of traffic that are difficult to predict.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Trump’s H-1B reform resolves few questions

U.S. President Donald Trump signed his so-called “Buy American, Hire American" executive order on Tuesday, aimed in part reforming the H-1B visa process for temporary foreign workers. The order clarifies that the new administration does indeed intend to address the visa program -- heavily used by IT outsourcers both foreign and domestic — this year. However, the details of the proposed reforms — and the powers of the executive branch to compel changes to the system — remain murky.[ Related: Trump to order wholesale H-1B reform ]To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FCC ends price caps on many business data lines

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has voted to deregulate the providers of the business data lines connecting broadband service to many small businesses, schools, hospitals, and ATM machines.The deregulation of business data services, or BDS, could mean broadband price hikes for those businesses as well as for mobile phone customers, critics said. BDS provides the backhaul that connects mobile towers to the wired internet.The commission's 2-1 party-line vote ends price caps on much of the BDS market across the U.S., while retaining price regulations in about a third of the country.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here