A Markdown-to-PDF Workflow on Linux

In May of last year I wrote about using a Makefile with Markdown documents, in which I described how I use make and a Makefile along with CLI tools like multimarkdown (the binary, not the format) and Pandoc. At that time, I’d figured out how to use combinations of the various CLI tools to create various formats from the source Markdown document. The one format I hadn’t gotten right at that time was PDF. Pandoc can create PDFs, but only if LaTeX is installed. This article describes a method I found that allows me to create PDFs from my Markdown documents without using LaTeX.

Two tools are involved in this new conversion process: Pandoc, which I’ve discussed on this site before; and wkhtmltopdf, a new tool I just recently discovered. Basically, I use Pandoc to go from Markdown (MultiMarkdown, specifically) to HTML, and then use wkhtmltopdf to generate a PDF file from the HTML.

The first step in the process is to use Pandoc to convert from Markdown to HTML, including the use of CSS to include custom formatting. The command looks something like this:

pandoc --from=markdown_mmd+yaml_metadata_block+smart --standalone \
--to=html -V css=/home/slowe/Documents/std-styles.css \
--output=<destination-html-filename> <source-md-filename>

This generates Continue reading

Guide to Cloud Computing Architectures

Choosing the right cloud computing architecture depends on your business and technology service requirements. This excerpt from Architecting Cloud Computing Solutions explains the different cloud models including baseline cloud architectures, complex architectures, and hybrid clouds.

IoT roundup: Startups, big carriers flex their IoT muscles and California legislation

We’re back! Here’s the latest monthly roundup of big and not-so-big news in the world of IoT, ranging from carrier doings to a neat little startup. Buckle up.California legislates IoT security California’s state legislature this month sent a bill to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk that would mandate the use of “reasonable” security features in any connected devices, which are defined as any device that “is equipped with a means for authentication outside a local area network.” So, essentially, anything that can be accessed via the Internet would be subject to SB 327.To read this article in full, please click here

IoT roundup: Startups, big carriers flexing their IoT muscles and California legislation

We’re back! Here’s the latest monthly roundup of big and not-so-big news in the world of IoT, ranging from carrier doings to a neat little startup. Buckle up.California legislates IoT securityCalifornia’s state legislature this month sent a bill to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk that would mandate the use of “reasonable” security features in any connected devices, which are defined as any device that “is equipped with a means for authentication outside a local area network.” So, essentially, anything that can be accessed via the Internet would be subject to SB 327.To read this article in full, please click here

Implications of Valley-Free Routing in Data Center Fabrics

As I explained in a previous blog post, most leaf-and-spine best-practices (as in: what to do if you have no clue) use BGP as the IGP routing protocol (regardless of whether it’s needed) with the same AS number shared across all spine switches to implement valley-free routing.

This design has an interesting consequence: when a link between a leaf and a spine switch fails, they can no longer communicate.

For example, when the link between L1 and C1 in the following diagram fails, there’s no connectivity between L1 and C1 as there’s no valley-free path between them.

Read more ...

Cumulus content roundup: September

Who’s ready for another Cumulus content roundup? This month we kept busy with step-by-step guides, tips and tricks, and even kicked off a new series, Tales from the field! Grab a seat and settle in to learn more about everything from EVPN to ZTP, and how they benefit you. Happy reading!

From Cumulus Networks:

We stand with open source: We’ve come a long way from where we began as a company. Find out why we’re passionate about open source networking, what we’ve brought to the table in the last couple of years, and our goals for the future.

5 tips for transitioning to 100G networking: Are you ready to increase your networking speed and pack more computing into the same space? You’re going to want to read these 5 tips on making the transition to 100G networking as smooth as possible.

EVPN behind the curtains: Confused about EVPN? Read this blog post for a step-by-step understanding of EVPN and what it means to you.

Tales from the field: Best practices for initial provisioning (Part 1): Let’s dive into ZTP! Read part one of “Tales from the field,” a series, and find out how to use automation tools to Continue reading

Windows for Network Automation?

The OS landscape is changing and, yes, you can learn and run network automation tools on Windows.

Windows for Network Automation?

After a hot, dry June day in Richmond I boarded an empty train. It being just myself and a couple opposite we struck up a conversation, awaiting the train’s departure. Over the next twenty minutes, as the train slowly worked through a procession of sun-baked stations, I discovered that my companions worked in IT, but in a much earlier time. The white-haired gent confessed to be a C programmer back in the 60s. We talked about software, home lab specs, and genial conversation flowed from mutual interests. However, when I idly announced ‘Microsoft have really changed, Windows has greatly improved’ the C gent gave my comments short shrift and cut them down with:

‘They can’t change, they’re too big.’

No matter, it was a serendipitous meeting that enriched a dull train journey.

That encounter stuck with me, especially the rejection of Microsoft, and I was reminded of it last week in a brief exchange with David Bombal on twitter. The #netdevops guys put together a video about using Windows as a developer environment and David mentioned some negative comments they had received Continue reading

Hitachi Vantara unveils a wide range of data-center products

Hitachi Vantara launched a wide range of new hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) systems, software management, and automation tools at its Hitachi Next 2018 conference taking place in San Diego.The move is meant to be a convergence of products, just as Hitachi Ventara as a company is going through a convergence. The U.S. subsidiary of the Japanese tech giant was formed last year by combining three business units: Hitachi Data Systems, the systems and storage infrastructure business; the Hitachi Insight Group IoT business; and the Pentaho Big Data business.To read this article in full, please click here

Hitachi Vantara unveils a wide range of data-center products

Hitachi Vantara launched a wide range of new hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) systems, software management, and automation tools at its Hitachi Next 2018 conference taking place in San Diego.The move is meant to be a convergence of products, just as Hitachi Ventara as a company is going through a convergence. The U.S. subsidiary of the Japanese tech giant was formed last year by combining three business units: Hitachi Data Systems, the systems and storage infrastructure business; the Hitachi Insight Group IoT business; and the Pentaho Big Data business.To read this article in full, please click here

Hitachi Vantara unveils a wide range of data center products

Hitachi Vantara launched a wide range of new hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) systems, software management, and automation tools at its Hitachi Next 2018 conference taking place in San Diego.The move is meant to be a convergence of products, just as Hitachi Ventara as a company is going through a convergence. The U.S. subsidiary of the Japanese tech giant was formed last year by combining three business units: Hitachi Data Systems, the systems and storage infrastructure business; the Hitachi Insight Group IoT business; and the Pentaho Big Data business.With on-premises hardware falling out of favor to the cloud, Hitachi Vantara is trying to help customers that keep on-prem systems get the most out of their systems and bring as much of the cloud experience to the data center.To read this article in full, please click here

5 criteria for application-aware SD-WANs

Over the past five years, SD-WANs deployments have skyrocketed. And for good reason: They increase network agility and cut the cost of network transport.One common myth about SD-WANs, however, is that they improve application performance. They certainly can under some circumstances, but there is no guarantee they will under all situations. SD-WANs address only part of the transformation of the network to becoming a digital enabler. SD-WANs must now become smarter, or “application aware,” to optimize user experience, improve customer service, and increase worker productivity. The requirement to have an application-aware network has never been more urgent, as application performance has a direct impact on a company’s top and bottom line. For example, according to an Accenture survey, 66 percent of millennials have changed their brand loyalties because of a bad user experience. Also, a recent ZK Research survey found that workers are 14 percent less productive than they could be as a result of poor application performance. Make no mistake; poorly performing applications are costing companies today.To read this article in full, please click here

5 criteria for application-aware SD-WANs

Over the past five years, SD-WANs deployments have skyrocketed. And for good reason: They increase network agility and cut the cost of network transport.One common myth about SD-WANs, however, is that they improve application performance. They certainly can under some circumstances, but there is no guarantee they will under all situations. SD-WANs address only part of the transformation of the network to becoming a digital enabler. SD-WANs must now become smarter, or “application aware,” to optimize user experience, improve customer service, and increase worker productivity. The requirement to have an application-aware network has never been more urgent, as application performance has a direct impact on a company’s top and bottom line. For example, according to an Accenture survey, 66 percent of millennials have changed their brand loyalties because of a bad user experience. Also, a recent ZK Research survey found that workers are 14 percent less productive than they could be as a result of poor application performance. Make no mistake; poorly performing applications are costing companies today.To read this article in full, please click here

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