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Category Archives for "Networking"

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

MPLS “No Label” vs “Pop Label”

I like MPLS. And I don’t necessarily mean as a solution to solve a problem, but as something to configure in the lab. It’s fun to build things that do something when you’re done. Setting up OSPF or EIGRP and being able to traceroute across routers is meh. But configuring MPLS with all the associated technologies — an IGP, LDP, MP-BGP, — and then getting all of them working in unison… when you get the traceroute working, it’s rewarding.

Here’s something to keep an eye out for when you’re troubleshooting MPLS: An LFIB entry (that is, the Label Forwarding Information Base) that states “No Label” versus one that states “Pop Label”. These mean very different things and can be the difference between a working Label Switched Path (LSP) and a non-working LSP.

The Topology

Here’s the topology I’m working with:

MPLS-no-label-vs-pop-label-topology

Click to Enlarge

 

R21 and R8 are Customer Edge (CE) routers and they communicate through the MPLS network in the “BRANCHES” VRF. R4 and R7 are Provider Edge (PE) routers and R1, R5, and R6 are Provider (P) routers.

Working State

I’m going to examine traffic going from R8’s 10.1.8.8 address and destined to R21’s 10. Continue reading

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Wednesday, May 27

Hyundai is first to roll with Android AutoHyundai is the first carmaker to put Android Auto into vehicles, starting with navigation features on the 2015 Sonata, where the vehicle’s dashboard infotainment system mirrors a connected Android smartphone. Google’s automotive software competes with Apple’s CarPlay, which Hyundai has previously said would be offered as an option on the 2015 Sonata.EMC scoops up Virtustream for cloud management for $1.2 billionEMC will expand its portfolio of cloud management tools in a $1.2 billion deal to buy Virtustream. Virtustream’s xStream software is used to manage complex enterprise applications, such as SAP’s S/4HANA, so they can be run effectively on hosted infrastructure services.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Wednesday, May 27

Hyundai is first to roll with Android AutoHyundai is the first carmaker to put Android Auto into vehicles, starting with navigation features on the 2015 Sonata, where the vehicle’s dashboard infotainment system mirrors a connected Android smartphone. Google’s automotive software competes with Apple’s CarPlay, which Hyundai has previously said would be offered as an option on the 2015 Sonata.EMC scoops up Virtustream for cloud management for $1.2 billionEMC will expand its portfolio of cloud management tools in a $1.2 billion deal to buy Virtustream. Virtustream’s xStream software is used to manage complex enterprise applications, such as SAP’s S/4HANA, so they can be run effectively on hosted infrastructure services.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Wednesday, May 27

Hyundai is first to roll with Android AutoHyundai is the first carmaker to put Android Auto into vehicles, starting with navigation features on the 2015 Sonata, where the vehicle’s dashboard infotainment system mirrors a connected Android smartphone. Google’s automotive software competes with Apple’s CarPlay, which Hyundai has previously said would be offered as an option on the 2015 Sonata.EMC scoops up Virtustream for cloud management for $1.2 billionEMC will expand its portfolio of cloud management tools in a $1.2 billion deal to buy Virtustream. Virtustream’s xStream software is used to manage complex enterprise applications, such as SAP’s S/4HANA, so they can be run effectively on hosted infrastructure services.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Computer chips made of wood promise greener electronics

U.S. and Chinese researchers have developed semiconductor chips that are nearly entirely made out of wood-derived material.Aside from being biodegradable, the chips could be produced for only a fraction of the cost of conventional semiconductors, according to the group of 17 researchers, mostly from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with others from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.The researchers used a cellulose material for the substrate of the chip, which is the part that supports the active semiconductor layer. Taken from cellulose, a naturally abundant substance used to make paper, cellulose nanofibril (CNF) is a flexible, transparent and sturdy material with suitable electrical properties.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Computer chips made of wood promise greener electronics

U.S. and Chinese researchers have developed semiconductor chips that are nearly entirely made out of wood-derived material.Aside from being biodegradable, the chips could be produced for only a fraction of the cost of conventional semiconductors, according to the group of 17 researchers, mostly from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with others from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.The researchers used a cellulose material for the substrate of the chip, which is the part that supports the active semiconductor layer. Taken from cellulose, a naturally abundant substance used to make paper, cellulose nanofibril (CNF) is a flexible, transparent and sturdy material with suitable electrical properties.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Open vSwitch Database Management Protocol (OVSDB) 101

Open vSwitch Database Management Protocol (OVSDB, RFC 7047) is often mentioned together with other semi-magic SDN tools that will bring everlasting peace to the chaotic world of networking. In reality, it’s just a database access/update protocol (think SQL with JSON encoding) with an interesting twist: a client can request notifications about table or row updates, replacing periodic database polling with a pub-sub solution.

Read more ...

Ads for MacKeeper refunds will run on Facebook

A sizable Internet advertising campaign is planned to alert people to a proposed class-action settlement over MacKeeper, a security program for Macs accused of deceptive practices.MacKeeper’s developer, ZeoBit, was sued in May 2014 in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania. Filed on behalf of Pennsylvania resident Holly Yencha, the class-action suit alleges MacKeeper was deceptively marketed and did not fully function as advertised.Under a proposed settlement, ZeoBit—a company started in Ukraine but now based in California—will put US$2 million into a fund to reimburse customers but admit no fault, which is customary in class-action settlements.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Rubrik adds $41m in funding, releases backup appliance

When a startup’s $10 million in funding is followed two months later by a further $41 million, it’s safe to say they’re tapping into a trend. In the case of Rubrik, that trend is enterprise data management.Promising an all-in-one approach to enterprise backup and recovery, Rubrik announced its Converged Data Management platform in late March along with its initial funding. Introduced at the time via an early-access program, Rubrik’s technology aims to “eliminate backup software” by fusing enterprise data management with Web-scale IT.On Tuesday, Rubrik announced the $41 million Series B portion of its funding along with the general availability of its r300 Series hybrid cloud appliance. The Rubrik r300, a 2U unit containing up to four x86 nodes, comes pre-configured with the Rubrik Converged Data Management software.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

At Google I/O, Android may push deeper into the home

Android, already the most widely used operating system in smartphones, could soon find its way into refrigerators, door locks and all manner of other “smart” appliances around the home.The OS will be in the spotlight at Google’s massive I/O conference in San Francisco later this week. As well as pushing into home appliances, it could also be extended to play a deeper role in virtual reality, allowing Android developers to build apps for smartphones or VR headsets.Google hasn’t confirmed any of those plans yet, but as usual, the rumor mill has been in motion. Extending Android to even more devices could help Google draw more people to its online services, and by putting the software in home appliances, Google could gather further valuable insights into people’s behavior.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft partners with 20 more Android tablet makers to pre-load Office apps

Microsoft apps will soon come pre-installed on more Android devices thanks to 20 new partnerships the company has forged with tablet makers around the world. The group of global and regional partners, which includes LG, Sony, Haier and Wortmann, will pre-install Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, OneDrive and Skype on devices in the near future.Beyond that, it’s mostly unclear when the manufacturers will be launching tablets with Microsoft’s apps pre-installed. Sony is slated to start with its Xperia Z4 in the next 90 days, but Microsoft hasn’t provided a timetable for the other manufacturers. LG, for its part, will include the apps on a new tablet sometime later this year. Going forward, manufacturers will have the freedom to pick which apps (if any) show up on a given tablet.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

MPLS “No Label” vs “Pop Label”

I like MPLS. And I don't necessarily mean as a solution to solve a problem, but as something to configure in the lab. It's fun to build things that do something when you're done. Setting up OSPF or EIGRP and being able to traceroute across routers is meh. But configuring MPLS with all the associated technologies — an IGP, LDP, MP-BGP, — and then getting all of them working in unison… when you get the traceroute working, it's rewarding.

Here's something to keep an eye out for when you're troubleshooting MPLS: An LFIB entry (that is, the Label Forwarding Information Base) that states “No Label” versus one that states “Pop Label”. These mean very different things and can be the difference between a working Label Switched Path (LSP) and a non-working LSP.

Thieves stole data on 100,000 taxpayers through IRS app

Criminals stole sensitive information about roughly 100,000 taxpayers through the Internal Revenue Service’s “Get Transcript” application, a major data breach at the U.S.’s national tax agency. The thieves first stole information including Social Security details, dates of birth and street addresses from an outside, non-IRS source, the government agency said Tuesday. They then used that information to clear a multistep authentication process and access the IRS site, along with all the personal tax details stored there. The matter is now under review by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the IRS’ Criminal Investigation unit. The Get Transcript application has also been temporarily shut down.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Power problems disrupt Africa’s telecom sector

Rampant power outages are hitting Africa’s telecom sector hard, and are likely to cause aftershocks in related industries.Southern African Development Community (SADC) and West African countries including Zambia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Malawi face an increasing number of power shortages, affecting the ability of businesses to run base stations, data centers, computers and other IT equipment.Fuel shortages in Nigeria Monday, for example, curtailed MTN and Etisalat services. The shortages also disrupted services in the banking and travel industries.Persistent power shortages have added to the high cost of doing business in Africa, as most mobile phone service providers and business process outsourcing facilities are forced to use generators to power installations. This has led operators including MTN to increase investments in renewable energy technologies in order to avoid reliance on the national grid.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here