Unit Testing Junos with JSNAPy

I’ve been passionate about the idea of proactively testing network infrastructure for some time. I revived and added to these ideas in my last post. In that post’s video, I lay out three types of network testing in my presentation:

  1. Config-Centric - Verify my network is configured correctly
  2. State-Centric - Verify the network has the operational state I expect
  3. Application-Centric - Verify my applications can use the network in the way I expect

In the same way a software developer might write tests in Python or Go that describe and effect desired behavior, the network engineer now has a growing set of tools they can use to make assertions about what “should be” and constantly be made aware of deviations. One of those tools popped up on my radar this week - jsnapy.

JSNAPy

JSNAPy describes itself as the python version of the Junos snapshot administrator. While this isn’t untrue, I think it’s a huge undersell. In my view, the assertions you can make on the data retrieved via these snapshots is where JSNAPy really shines. So in order to conceptually understand JSNAPy, I’d recommend you think of it as as a generic assertion engine for Junos, and the snapshots Continue reading

Infrastructure-as-a-Code-Git-Part-1

After our short introduction to IAC we shall start exploring some of the different tool that are mainly used in the IAC concept. If you have missed the previous post you can read it here The first tool I want to introduce is GIT (and I think is the most important one). What is GIT a […]

Bringing GPUs To Bear On Big Standard Relational Databases

Among all of the hardware and software that is in a datacenter, the database – whether it is SQL, NoSQL, NewSQL or some other contraption in which to pour data and ask questions about it –  is probably the stickiest. Companies can and do change server, storage, or networking hardware, and they change operating systems and even applications, but they are loath to mess with repository of the information that is used to run the company.

This is understandably so, given the risk of inadvertently altering or losing that vital data. Ironically, this is one reason why databases proliferate at …

Bringing GPUs To Bear On Big Standard Relational Databases was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

Raúl Echeberría at Mobile World Congress Ministerial Programme

The Internet Society’s Vice President of Global Engagement Raúl Echeberría will be participating in a panel tomorrow at the Mobile World Congress Ministerial Programme on Policies to Expand Access to Mobile:

“Access to mobile services has become a key prerequisite for advancing societies where connectivity has almost become a human right. As 4G continues to be rolled out in most markets, and with 5G on the horizon, what policy levers can be pulled to extend existing and future mobile broadband services further into rural and other underserved areas?

“Adopting a balanced regulatory framework that is pro-investment and pro-innovation, will help address some of the toughest development challenges for the mobile industry. This interactive session will discuss policymakers’ key objectives for supporting mobile sector growth, and their next steps for attracting investment which deliver benefits not only for the mobile industry, but for the digitalisation of other industries.”

The panel, which takes place on Tuesday, 27 February, from 11:30-13:00 (CET), is moderated by Julian David, CEO of techUK, and includes, among others, Ebele Okobi, Facebook’s Public Policy Director, Africa; Francesca Bria, Chief Technology and Digital Innovation Officer of Barcelona City Council; and Nkateko Cornelius Nyoka, Chief Legal and Regulatory Officer of Vodacom Group Continue reading

The Evolution of NAMD: A Scalability Story from Single-Core to GPU Boosted

On today’s episode of “The Interview” with The Next Platform, we take a look at the evolution of the NAMD molecular dynamics and how the introduction of GPU computing upended performance expectations and set the stage for new metrics now that the Volta GPU architecture will be available on large supercomputers like the Summit machine coming to Oak Ridge National Lab.

Our guest is well known for being part of the team that won a Gordon Bell Prize in 2002 for work on scaling NAMD. Dr. Jim Phillips is a Senior Research Programmer in the NCSA Blue Waters Project …

The Evolution of NAMD: A Scalability Story from Single-Core to GPU Boosted was written by Nicole Hemsoth at The Next Platform.

Lenovo introduces new water-cooled server technology

Lenovo has introduced a new high-density server “tray” for high-performance computing (HPC) environments with the newest generation of water cooling technology it co-developed with a German HPC firm.Unlike your typical water-cooled system, where the water is chilled almost to a drinkable state, the ThinkSystem SD650 high-density server tray — so called because of its design and shape — is designed to operate using warm water, up to 50°C, or 122°F.Read also: Data center cooling market set to explode in the coming years There is a mindset that CPUs have to be chilled as though they were cold cuts, when Intel says they can handle much higher temperatures. Xeons can handle temps of up to 75°C without becoming unstable or crashing.To read this article in full, please click here

Lenovo introduces new water-cooled server technology

Lenovo has introduced a new high-density server “tray” for high-performance computing (HPC) environments with the newest generation of water cooling technology it co-developed with a German HPC firm.Unlike your typical water-cooled system, where the water is chilled almost to a drinkable state, the ThinkSystem SD650 high-density server tray — so called because of its design and shape — is designed to operate using warm water, up to 50°C, or 122°F.Read also: Data center cooling market set to explode in the coming years There is a mindset that CPUs have to be chilled as though they were cold cuts, when Intel says they can handle much higher temperatures. Xeons can handle temps of up to 75°C without becoming unstable or crashing.To read this article in full, please click here

Reaction: Billing by the Hour

A very common mistake I see among engineers of all stripes is a failure to fully appreciate the value of time—both what it is worth, and how to make your time more valuable.

What I normally see is something like this—I should be making $x/hour, because I have this specific experience, or that specific skill set. This focus on hourly pay, however, is actually counter productive. For instance, I recently ran across an article in a publication for graphic designers and illustrators (a world I have followed since I lived it in many years ago)—

Billing by the hour is the most popular pricing method across the world in most industries. Of course, there are many web designers/developers out there who make a great living by using the hourly billing method, but in my opinion, value-based billing is far better than hourly billing. —Kyle Prinsloo @Web Designer Depot

To begin, what does Kyle mean when he says to “bill by value” rather than billing by the hour? Once, when I went into a lawyers office, I noticed he had a sign on the wall that said, “Lawyers don’t charge by the bullet.” The point the lawyer was making Continue reading

IDG Contributor Network: If applications speak in sessions, shouldn’t your router be session smart?

My new iPhone X actually recognizes me! This is an example of Smart Technology.Most of us are expecting a revolution of products and services that have embedded intelligence or smarts. Medical diagnostic support is being aided by computer intelligence with the goal to improve the physician’s understanding of the patient to improve the diagnosis, therapies and resulting patient outcomes without adding more burden on the clinician. Look at cars – now, autonomous self-driving vehicles have the potential to alleviate congestion and improve the environment in ways we couldn’t imagine.To perform facial recognition, the iPhone X must understand the language of faces. This includes attributes of faces, such as shape of eyes, noses, cheekbones, and jaw. It’s safe to say that any smart system needs to understand the language of its purpose. Self-driving cars must understand the language of driving which includes maps, roads, signs, speed limits, weather, and traffic signals. Smart medical diagnostics need to understand the language of medicine, including possible diagnosis and probabilities.To read this article in full, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: If applications speak in sessions, shouldn’t your router be session smart?

My new iPhone X actually recognizes me! This is an example of Smart Technology.Most of us are expecting a revolution of products and services that have embedded intelligence or smarts. Medical diagnostic support is being aided by computer intelligence with the goal to improve the physician’s understanding of the patient to improve the diagnosis, therapies and resulting patient outcomes without adding more burden on the clinician. Look at cars – now, autonomous self-driving vehicles have the potential to alleviate congestion and improve the environment in ways we couldn’t imagine.To perform facial recognition, the iPhone X must understand the language of faces. This includes attributes of faces, such as shape of eyes, noses, cheekbones, and jaw. It’s safe to say that any smart system needs to understand the language of its purpose. Self-driving cars must understand the language of driving which includes maps, roads, signs, speed limits, weather, and traffic signals. Smart medical diagnostics need to understand the language of medicine, including possible diagnosis and probabilities.To read this article in full, please click here

Starting as an Engineering Manager

Starting as an Engineering Manager

I joined Cloudflare last week as an Engineering Manager, having previously spent 4 years working as the head of the software engineering community in the UK Government’s Digital Service (GDS). You only get one chance to be a new starter at each new place, so it’s important to make the most of the experience. Also, the job of Engineering Manager is different in every organisation, so it’s important to understand what the expectations and need for the role is in Cloudflare.

To help with this, I started by sketching out some objectives for my first week.

  • Meet all my team members in a 1 to 1 meeting
  • Know the skills and motivations of each team member
  • Write down the expectations of my manager and team
  • Write down the scope of the job
  • Write a list of technologies to get an understanding of
  • Be mentored by one of the team in one of these technologies
  • Review what I can do to help with diversity and inclusion
  • Understand the management structure - draw a diagram of it
  • Spend 30 minutes with the most senior person I can to understand their aims
  • Play with the product myself

Some of these are a bit Continue reading

We’ve added another new Cyber Ops course to our video library

Log into your members account or visit ine.com to check out Andrew Crouthamel’s newest Cyber Ops course; CCNA Cyber Ops Technology Course: SECOPS 210-255.

 

Why Study Cyber Ops?

Cisco’s CCNA Cyber Ops cetification provides individuals with the knowledge to identify and respond to security incidents. This certification provides a path to working in a security operations center and security positions. As a CCNA level certification, Cyber Ops provides introductory knowledge so one may be aware of the security landscape, understand security concepts and general networking.

About This Course

This course is taught by Andrew Crouthamel and is 1 hour and 22 minutes long. This is a CCNA level course and will cover the exam topics of the SECOPS 210-255 Exam.

What You’ll Learn

Topics covered in this course include: endpoint analysis and forensics, NetFlow and IPFIX, and the importance of data analysis. Students will also review incident response plans, various computer security teams, and compliance frameworks such as PCI, HIPAA, and SOX.

About The Instructor

Andrew is a seasoned IT engineer with over 12 years of experience. He started out in IT as an Assistant Computer Technician, blowing dust out of computers for a school district, moving up Continue reading

Striking Practical Computational Balance

The phenomenal complexity of computing is not decreasing. Charts of growth, investment and scale continue to follow a logarithmic curve.

But how is computational balance to be maintained with any level of objectivity under such extreme circumstances? How do we plan for this known, and yet highly unknown challenge of building balanced systems to operate at scale? The ever more bewildering set of options (e.g. price lists now have APIs) may, if not managed with utmost care, result in chaos and confusion.

This first in a series of articles will set some background and perspective on the …

Striking Practical Computational Balance was written by James Cuff at The Next Platform.

7 transportation IoT predictions from Cisco

Cisco is one of the biggest proponents — and potential beneficiaries — of the Internet of Things (IoT). The networking giant is pushing IoT solutions in a number of areas, not least of which is the transporation sector.To learn more about how the company sees the future of IoT playing out in the world of connected transporation, I spoke (via email) with Kyle Connor, Cisco’s transportation industry principal.Connor covered a lot of ground, but here are what I consider his seven most important points, along with my reactions to them:To read this article in full, please click here

1 … 1,710 1,711 1,712 1,713 1,714 … 3,841