Data center network monitoring best practices part 1: Metrics and alerts

One of the least loved areas of any data center network is monitoring. This is ironic because at its core, the network has two goals: 1) Get packets from A to B 2) Make sure packets got from A to B. It is not uncommon in the deployments I’ve seen for the monitoring budget to be effectively $0, and generally, an organization’s budget also reflects their priorities. Despite spending thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of dollars on networking equipment to facilitate goal #1 from above, there is often little money, thought and time spent in pursuit of Goal #2. In the next several paragraphs I’ll go into some basic data center network monitoring best practices that will work with any budget.

It is not hard to see why monitoring the data center network can be a daunting task. Monitoring your network, just like designing your network, takes a conscious plan of action. Tooling in the monitoring space today is highly fragmented with over 100+ “best of breed” tools that each accommodate a specific use case. Just evaluating all the tools would be a full time job. A recent Big Panda Report and their video overview of it (38 mins) Continue reading

Juniper finds its head in the clouds; security is another story

In announcing its Q1 earnings yesterday Juniper company executives were delighted about the company’s returns on its cloud computing directions.In the results conference call Juniper CEO Rami Rahim said cloud computing sales grew 25% year-over-year and noted that four of the company’s top 10 accounts were cloud-related. Specifically, the cloud vertical earned $331.6 million in the first quarter, over $264.8 million a year ago.“As the industry evolves, cloud architectures are no longer the exclusive domain of the cloud providers. Customers across all verticals are developing strategies for moving to cloud service delivery models and this aligns with our strategy to power the cloud transformation,” Rahim said [Seeking Alpha has a full transcript of the call here]. “The cloud is a massive paradigm shift that is reshaping all industries, and I'm excited about the opportunity we have in front of us.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Juniper finds its head in the clouds; security is another story

In announcing its Q1 earnings yesterday Juniper company executives were delighted about the company’s returns on its cloud computing directions.In the results conference call Juniper CEO Rami Rahim said cloud computing sales grew 25% year-over-year and noted that four of the company’s top 10 accounts were cloud-related. Specifically, the cloud vertical earned $331.6 million in the first quarter, over $264.8 million a year ago.“As the industry evolves, cloud architectures are no longer the exclusive domain of the cloud providers. Customers across all verticals are developing strategies for moving to cloud service delivery models and this aligns with our strategy to power the cloud transformation,” Rahim said [Seeking Alpha has a full transcript of the call here]. “The cloud is a massive paradigm shift that is reshaping all industries, and I'm excited about the opportunity we have in front of us.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Juniper finds its head in the clouds; security is another story

In announcing its Q1 earnings yesterday Juniper company executives were delighted about the company’s returns on its cloud computing directions.In the results conference call Juniper CEO Rami Rahim said cloud computing sales grew 25% year-over-year and noted that four of the company’s top 10 accounts were cloud-related. Specifically, the cloud vertical earned $331.6 million in the first quarter, over $264.8 million a year ago.“As the industry evolves, cloud architectures are no longer the exclusive domain of the cloud providers. Customers across all verticals are developing strategies for moving to cloud service delivery models and this aligns with our strategy to power the cloud transformation,” Rahim said [Seeking Alpha has a full transcript of the call here]. “The cloud is a massive paradigm shift that is reshaping all industries, and I'm excited about the opportunity we have in front of us.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Internet Society Middle East Regional Bureau Participates in MENOG 17

Ransomware attacks are taking a greater toll on victim’s wallets

The hackers spreading ransomware are getting greedier. In 2016, the average ransom demand to free computers hit with the infection rose to US$1,077, up from $294 the year before, according to security firm Symantec.“Attackers clearly think that there’s more to be squeezed from victims,” Symantec said in a Wednesday report.In addition, the security firm has been detecting more ransomware infection attempts. In 2016, the figure jumped by 36 percent from the year prior.  That doesn’t bode well for the public. Ransomware is notorious for taking over computers, and essentially holding them hostage. To do so, the malicious coding encrypts all the data inside, and then demands a fee, usually in bitcoin, in exchange for releasing the machine.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Ransomware attacks are taking a greater toll on victim’s wallets

The hackers spreading ransomware are getting greedier. In 2016, the average ransom demand to free computers hit with the infection rose to US$1,077, up from $294 the year before, according to security firm Symantec.“Attackers clearly think that there’s more to be squeezed from victims,” Symantec said in a Wednesday report.In addition, the security firm has been detecting more ransomware infection attempts. In 2016, the figure jumped by 36 percent from the year prior.  That doesn’t bode well for the public. Ransomware is notorious for taking over computers, and essentially holding them hostage. To do so, the malicious coding encrypts all the data inside, and then demands a fee, usually in bitcoin, in exchange for releasing the machine.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: AI goes to the movies to identify content you will want to watch

The digital technology and media and entertainment industries are beginning to come together to solve a common problem—how to extract, unlock, harness and make better use of the massive amounts of video content and data they produce. Anyone who has ever appeared in or produced a movie, commercial or business video is aware that many times a good portion of the footage winds up on the proverbial cutting room floor. The same is true of digital data. It is estimated that more than 80 percent of enterprise data is considered “dark”—created but never used.+ Also on Network World: Machine learning proves its worth to business + What if there were a way to pick up this data equivalent of cutting room discards and turn them into new assets? What if technologies such as IBM Watson could work with video editors to unearth data treasures that benefit and excite both producers and audiences? Sounds like the plot to a blockbuster movie, but it is now more fact than fiction.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

47% off Cable Organizer Electronics Accessories Travel Bag – Deal Alert

This Universal Electronics Accessories Travel Organizer provides a flexible organization solution for your electronics and computer accessories. It helps make you better organized with all the small items and gadgets.  Made of durable and weather-resistant nylon with well padded semi-flexible covers.  It's compact size of  8.8“ x W 6.1"allows it to easily stored in you laptop bag or backpack.  This travel organizers typical list price of $18.99 has been reduced 47% to just $9.98. See this deal on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Just how long do DNS resolvers cache last?

Just how long do DNS resolvers cache last?

I’m sure this has been done before, but you do hear stories from time to time where someone will either drop or increase their DNS TTL’s and either see a massive difference, or none at all.

A lot of pro

Worth Reading: Learning blockchains

A blockchain is a digital ledger of records that’s arranged in chunks of data called blocks. These blocks then link with one another through a cryptographic validation known as a hashing function. Linked together, these blocks form an unbroken chain — a blockchain.
The reason that this type of data structure is useful for things like cryptocurrencies is decentralization, meaning the records inside this chain aren’t stored in any single location, are accessible by everyone, and are immutable by any one party. —Free Code Camp

The post Worth Reading: Learning blockchains appeared first on rule 11 reader.

Avoid manually installing Windows 10 Creators Update

The Windows 10 Creators Update began rolling out on April 11, but impatient users could do their own upgrade as early as April 5 thanks to a utility called the Update Assistant, which downloaded it and installed the update for you.A lot of people jumped on this offer, and thanks to a few blow-ups, Microsoft has found some problems with the update and now advises users not to manually install the Creators Update and instead wait until it’s automatically offered for Windows Update.+ Also on Network World: 10 hidden features in the new Windows 10 Creators Update + The reason for all this rather late call for caution is that Microsoft wants to iron out any issues for specific hardware configurations. It started the rollout for newer devices that were less likely to have problems. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How HP reclaimed the title of world’s top PC maker from Lenovo

In late 2015, HP was reborn as a PC maker following a split of its parent organization, Hewlett-Packard. At the time, HP was a lost cause, and its double-digit decline in PC shipments was a main reason for the split.The new HP then set out to reclaim its spot as the world's top PC maker from Lenovo, a title it lost in 2013. It reached the goal in the first quarter of 2017, during which its PC shipments grew by 13.1 percent year over year.A series of cool products and decisions to cut off low-margin products helped HP return to the top. Lenovo's struggles also played a part, but HP's strong performance in North America was a deciding factor, IDC said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to derive real, actionable insights from your data lake: Five best practices

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, but readers should note it will likely favor the submitter’s approach.More businesses are embarking on data lake initiatives than ever before, yet Gartnerpredicts 90% of deployed data lakes will be useless through 2018 as they’re overwhelmed with data with no clear use cases. Organizations may see the value of having a single repository to house all enterprise data, but lack the resources, knowledge and processes to ensure the data in the lake is of good quality and actually useful to the business.  To truly leverage your organization’s data lake to derive real, actionable insights, there are five best practices to keep in mind:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to derive real, actionable insights from your data lake: Five best practices

Microsoft adds another layer to the Windows 10 patching onion

Microsoft yesterday added another update cycle to Windows 10's monthly patching, saying that the new collection of non-security-only fixes would give corporate customers the "increased flexibility" they had demanded.On Monday, Michael Niehaus, director of Windows 10 product marketing, announced the new monthly update, saying that the company would initially issue it only to customers running 1703, the upgrade also known as Creators Update, which launched earlier this month."We will routinely offer one (or sometimes more than one) additional update each month," Niehaus wrote in a post to a company blog. "These additional cumulative updates will contain only new non-security updates" [emphasis added].To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FCC chairman plans to ‘reverse the mistake’ of net neutrality

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will vote on May 18 to kick off a proceeding to "reverse the mistake" of the agency's 2-year-old net neutrality rules, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said.The rulemaking proceeding would be the first step toward repealing the regulations and reversing the agency's 2015 decision to classify broadband as a regulated, telecom-like service.Pai didn't provide a lot of detail about his proposal during a speech Wednesday, but during the rulemaking, the FCC will seek public comment on how best to move forward with new net neutrality rules or guidelines, he said. The FCC is scheduled to release the text of Pai's proposal on Thursday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FCC chairman plans to ‘reverse the mistake’ of net neutrality

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will vote on May 18 to kick off a proceeding to "reverse the mistake" of the agency's 2-year-old net neutrality rules, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said.The rulemaking proceeding would be the first step toward repealing the regulations and reversing the agency's 2015 decision to classify broadband as a regulated, telecom-like service.Pai didn't provide a lot of detail about his proposal during a speech Wednesday, but during the rulemaking, the FCC will seek public comment on how best to move forward with new net neutrality rules or guidelines, he said. The FCC is scheduled to release the text of Pai's proposal on Thursday.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Don’t Miss our Self-Healing Networks Session at the Red Hat Summit

One of my favorite technology catch phrases is “all technology fails”, but when thinking about the network that thought becomes a very scary one. Yes, while all technology does fail, you will always do your best to not have the network be one of those. The concept of healing networks from a conceptual standpoint (the will to want to detect an issue and fix it as soon as possible) is not a new one, as network monitoring is always at the front of any network engineer's mind. We are just fortunate in this day and age to be able to take advantage of newer tools that provide better solutions. Ansible to the rescue!

If you are attending the Red Hat Summit, please make sure not to miss the Discovery Zone session entitled “Self-Healing Networks with Ansible” on Thursday, May 4th at 10:15AM.

In this presentation we will cover topics, such as:

• Why Capturing Metrics from Your Network is Important
• Defining Failure States
• Auto-Remediation versus Remediation (if remediation is the optimal course of action)
• How Are The “Small" Guys Doing It?
• Best Use Cases for Ansible Core and Ansible Tower
• How Can Consulting Services help?

At the end of this session, Continue reading

Companion mobile app exposed Hyundai cars to potential hijacking

The mobile application that accompanies many Hyundai cars exposed sensitive information that could have allowed attackers to remotely locate, unlock, and start vehicles.The vulnerability was patched in the latest version of the mobile app released in March but was publicly disclosed on Tuesday. It is the latest in a string of flaws found over the past few years in the "smart" features added by vehicle manufacturers to their cars.The Hyundai issue was discovered by independent researchers William Hatzer and Arjun Kumar when analyzing the MyHyundai with Blue Link mobile app.Blue Link is a subscription-based technology that's available for many Hyundai car models released after 2012. It allows car owners to remotely locate their vehicles in case of theft, to remotely unlock them if they lose or misplace their keys, and even to remotely start or stop their engine when they're parked and locked.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here