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Category Archives for "Networking"

Programming an ACI Fabric

By now, you’ve probably heard of Cisco’s Software Defined Networking (SDN) solution that is centered around ACI, or the Application Centric Infrastructure. Like most SDN platforms, a key component is the controller otherwise known as the Application Policy Infrastructure Controller (APIC) in the case of ACI. The APIC provides a single pane of glass that centralizes policy, configuration, and monitoring of the complete fabric. It also more importantly exposes the complete system via an object oriented REST API, which is what we’ll look at in this post.

By itself, ACI reduces the number of touch points in the network. This is no different than any other controller-based network that exists today and is a great step in the right direction. We can then honestly say SDN simplifies operations.

The issue is if you don’t have something else driving ACI, or any other SDN solution for that matter, it could take a large number clicks within the UI to configure a new tenant, application, or whatever is being configured. This is error prone as we all know it’s pretty easy to fat finger something! Because of this, it still makes total sense to automate network fabrics even if it’s not for Continue reading

Microsoft app store gets a spring clean before Windows 10 launch

Microsoft is cleaning house in the Windows Store, enacting policies that could see some apps removed as it tries to reduce clutter and ensure fair pricing ahead of the Windows 10 launch later this year.The new policies, designed to make it easier for users to find quality apps, will also clamp down on developers who abuse keywords to game the Store’s search results.First off, Microsoft wants to ensure users can distinguish between different apps, which means developers will need to use icons that accurately reflect what a program does, and that aren’t too similar to other app icons in the store. The same rules will apply to application titles, and to application functionality.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FCC ruling could bolster robocall battle

The Federal Communications Commission could soon clear a path to help in the ongoing battle to fight unwanted and in many cases illegal robocalls and text messages.FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler is proposing a number of changes that the FCC says would “close loopholes and strengthen consumer protections already on the books,” such as the widely used Do-Not-Call Registry. The FCC proposals were in response to industry players who sought clarity on how the Commission enforces the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)."The FCC wants to make it clear: Telephone companies can – and in fact should – offer consumers robocall-blocking tools," FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler said in a blog post. In the past some carriers we concerned that blocking automated calls could be construed as violations of the TCPA that requires them to ensure that all calls placed over their networks reach their intended recipients.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Judge classifies as class action an email scanning lawsuit against Yahoo

A lawsuit that alleges Yahoo’s email scanning practices are illegal can proceed as a class action complaint, a development that will shine the spotlight on the Yahoo Mail use of messages’ content for advertising purposes.Plaintiffs allege that emails sent to Yahoo Mail users by people who do not have Yahoo Mail accounts are scanned by Yahoo in violation of federal and California wiretapping laws.In a decision Tuesday evening, Judge Lucy Koh said all U.S. residents who are not Yahoo Mail subscribers but who have sent emails to or received emails from a Yahoo Mail subscriber between Oct. 2, 2011, and now may sue the company.California residents who are not Yahoo Mail subscribers but who have sent emails to or received emails from a Yahoo Mail subscriber between Oct. 2, 2012, and now may sue the company, according to the judge’s filing in the U.S. district court in the northern district of California.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Citizens of Tech 005 – Saga of Lucimia Special, Part 1

Eric Sutphen (@zutfen) and Jeff Pugliese (@tpyowritr) interview game developers Tim Anderson and Giovanni Martello from Saga of Lucimia.

Author information

Ethan Banks

Co-host at Packet Pushers

Ethan Banks, CCIE #20655, has been managing networks for higher ed, government, financials and high tech since 1995. Ethan co-hosts the Packet Pushers Podcast, which has seen over 3M downloads and reaches over 10K listeners. With whatever time is left, Ethan writes for fun & profit, studies for certifications, and enjoys science fiction. @ecbanks
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The post Citizens of Tech 005 – Saga of Lucimia Special, Part 1 appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Ethan Banks.

How to prevent the new Messages bug from crashing your iPhone

A bug in iOS 8 turns a string of Unicode characters into a phone-crashing catastrophe.If you receive a message with the characters, either as an iMessage or an SMS text from contacts on other platforms, your iPhone will crash—but only if you open it. If you receive a notification with the message on your lock screen, your phone will either reboot or lock you out of Messages altogether.MORE: iPhone 7 Rumor RollupThe bug doesn’t actually generate the message—some prankster with your phone number has to actually send the code to you. Let’s hope your friends aren’t jerks. If one of your contacts does send you a malicious message, its effects can be reversed with a follow-up message—or you can send yourself the fix from your Mac by replying to the original string in Messages on OS X, according to The Verge. (The bug only affects iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches.)To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Chip maker Avago may be close to buying Broadcom

Avago Technologies is in advanced talks to acquire Broadcom in a potential deal that could mark the latest consolidation in the global semiconductor industry, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.The terms being discussed aren’t clear and the deal could still fall through, according to the report, which did not name its sources.Broadcom makes chips for a wide range of communications products, including wired and wireless networks, connected home and car equipment and the Internet of Things. Avago’s silicon goes into industrial and enterprise storage gear as well as wireline and wireless networks. Avago, founded in 1961, is based in San Jose, California, and Singapore. Broadcom is in Irvine, California, and started in 1991.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Successful 400 Gbps trials open the door for faster fiber

We've been hearing about speed trials over fiber for years. In 2009, researchers in Denmark were the first to beat the one-terabit mark. For comparison, today's commercial fiber usually runs at 100 gigabits per second.This year's real-world tests, by switch-maker Alcatel-Lucent over existing long-distance fiber, have obtained 400 gigabits per second, or 50 gigabytes in one second.That's especially good because it's real-world and four times better than the current, normally available pipes.Bits are used to measure rate of transfer, and bytes to measure capacity, by the way.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Candidate Sanders has a funny 404 page

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, newly announced Democratic candidate for president, has always seemed a grumpy sort when being interviewed on television. And that makes his campaign site’s 404 page video all the funnier. Just scoot down to the bottom of the page. Priceless. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

An insider’s guide to the private IPv4 market

We’ve been hearing about the impending depletion of IPv4 addresses for years, but that day is finally upon us -- the free supply of IPv4 numbers in North America will be completely gone within a month or two.However, as the world slowly transitions to IPv6, there’s no cause for alarm. A significant quantity of unused, previously allocated IPv4 numbers are readily available for re-distribution to IP network operators that need them. And an active private market for IPv4 addresses has emerged to allow companies with these excess IPv4 numbers to sell them to those in need.+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD Infographic: IPv4 vs IPv6 +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Senate to return early to debate phone dragnet

The U.S. Senate will return early from a week-long recess in a last-ditch effort to extend provisions of the Patriot Act that the National Security Agency have used to collect millions of domestic telephone records over the past nine years.The Senate is scheduled to resume debating whether to extend or amend Section 215 of the Patriot at 4 p.m. ET Sunday, hours before that part of the counterterrorism law is due to expire. The Senate was previously scheduled to return from an extended Memorial Day break on Monday, but Section 215 of the Patriot Act expires at 12:01 a.m. that day.It’s unclear what direction the Senate debate will take. As of Wednesday morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hadn’t announced what votes will be taken Sunday evening.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Senate to return early to debate phone dragnet

The U.S. Senate will return early from a week-long recess in a last-ditch effort to extend provisions of the Patriot Act that the National Security Agency have used to collect millions of domestic telephone records over the past nine years.The Senate is scheduled to resume debating whether to extend or amend Section 215 of the Patriot at 4 p.m. ET Sunday, hours before that part of the counterterrorism law is due to expire. The Senate was previously scheduled to return from an extended Memorial Day break on Monday, but Section 215 of the Patriot Act expires at 12:01 a.m. that day.It’s unclear what direction the Senate debate will take. As of Wednesday morning, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hadn’t announced what votes will be taken Sunday evening.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Let’s Review: EIGRP Named Mode

My next stop on my CCIE: R/S Written review. EIGRP, the big change here is EIGRP Named Mode it’s the same EIGRP with a new shiny cover. So , let’s jump in. To start the new named mode configuration we need to define the ‘named instance’ compared to defining the autonomous system out of the gate. […]

How a Florida fender-bender could threaten Uber’s business model

A March collision between a Mitsubishi Outlander and a scooter in the Miami area could have huge repercussions in Silicon Valley. According to reports in Buzzfeed and elsewhere, the minor accident caused only a few thousand dollars in damages. But it could have a nationwide impact on the business models of ridesharing and other app-driven services. Because the SUV was dropping off Uber passengers at the time, the driver asked the company's insurance to cover the costs. But Uber and the driver couldn't come to an agreement, so—unable to keep driving until the vehicle was fixed or replaced—Darrin McGillis ended up filing an unemployment insurance claim against Uber and a subsidiary. That forced the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity to determine whether the driver was actually an employee of Uber, not an independent contractor, as the company claims. Last week, the Florida DEO's initial determination held that McGillis was indeed an employee, not a contractor.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

A match made in heaven? 10 tech mergers that defined the industry

AOL, back on the marketImage by REUTERS/Brendan McDermidAn unexpected merger between AOL and a storied incumbent? You'd be forgiven for thinking you'd gone back to the turn of the century, but no, that happened earlier this month. Whatever the reasons behind the AOL-Verizon merger -- for all the talk of AOL's content offerings, its advertising platform may be the big prize -- at a mere $4.4 billion dollars the deal is a pale shadow of the $164 billion blockbuster AOL-Time Warner merger that marked the height of dot-com hubris.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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