MegaSwitch: an interesting new data center fabric

Data center fabrics are built today using spine and leaf fabrics, lots of fiber, and a lot of routers. There has been a lot of research in all-optical solutions to replace current designs with something different; MegaSwitch is a recent paper that illustrates the research, and potentially a future trend, in data center design. The basic idea is this: give every host its own fiber in a ring that reaches to every other host. Then use optical multiplexers to pull off the signal from each ring any particular host needs in order to provide a switchable set of connections in near real time. The figure below will be used to explain.

In the illustration, there are four hosts, each of which is connected to an electrical switch (EWS). The EWS, in turn, connects to an optical switch (OWS). The OWS channels the outbound (transmitted) traffic from each host onto a single ring, where it is carried to every other OWS in the network. The optical signal is terminated at the hop before the transmitter to prevent any loops from forming (so A’s optical signal is terminated at D, for instance, assuming the ring runs clockwise in the diagram).

The receive Continue reading

Would Verizon really publish my unlisted landline number?

The question occurs: What will happen if I cancel Verizon’s “Non-Published Service,” which for a ridiculously unjustifiable fee of $5.25 a month keeps my landline unlisted and my time at home almost entirely uninterrupted by scammers and robocalls.If I cancel this alleged “service,” will Verizon really punish me by publishing my number – unlisted now for 10 years – against my will and even if I first ask politely that they not do so?I know what you’re thinking: Of course, they will, they’re not only a cold-hearted corporation, they’re a carrier, for crying out loud. I, too, figure they will treat me like a shop owner who refuses to pay protection money: “Nice quiet dinnertimes you have going there; would be a shame if something happened to them.” But you never know for sure until you ask, right?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Would Verizon really publish my unlisted landline number?

The question occurs: What will happen if I cancel Verizon’s “Non-Published Service,” which for a ridiculously unjustifiable fee of $5.25 a month keeps my landline unlisted and my time at home almost entirely uninterrupted by scammers and robocalls.If I cancel this alleged “service,” will Verizon really punish me by publishing my number – unlisted now for 10 years – against my will and even if I first ask politely that they not do so?I know what you’re thinking: Of course, they will, they’re not only a cold-hearted corporation, they’re a carrier, for crying out loud. I, too, figure they will treat me like a shop owner who refuses to pay protection money: “Nice quiet dinnertimes you have going there; would be a shame if something happened to them.” But you never know for sure until you ask, right?To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Getting Started: Tower Users and Credentials

Tower User and Credentials

In our previous Getting Started blog post, we discussed how to install Ansible Tower in your environment.

Now we’ll discuss how you can equip your Tower host with users and credentials.

To begin, let’s cover the essentials: setting up your user base and creating credentials for appropriate delegation of tasks.

How To Set Up A User Base

Building your user base will be the first thing you’ll need to do to get started with Tower. The user base can be broken into three easily-defined parts:

1. User: Someone who has access to Tower with associated permissions and credentials.

2. Organization: The top level of the user base - a logical collection of users, teams, projects and inventories.

3. Team: A subdivision of an organization - provides the means to set up and implement role-based access schemes as well as to delegate work across organizations.

Understanding User Types

There are three types of users that can be defined within Tower:

  • Normal User: A user that is given no special permissions from the beginning - they must be granted to them by a system administrator.

  • System Auditor: A user who will have view access only within Tower.

  • System Administrator: A user who has the Continue reading

FCC chairman to announce plans to repeal net neutrality

The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to announce plans to repeal the agency's 2015 net neutrality rules on Wednesday.Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, will likely announce a plan to reverse course on the 2-year-old regulations and end the agency's classification of broadband as a regulated, common-carrier service. In a Wednesday speech, Pai will reportedly announce that he is scheduling a vote for the FCC's May 18 meeting to begin the process of repealing the rules.Pai has called the net neutrality rules a mistake that "injected tremendous uncertainty into the broadband market." President Donald Trump, who appointed Pai as the FCC's chairman, has also criticized the regulations.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

FCC chairman to announce plans to repeal net neutrality

The chairman of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission is expected to announce plans to repeal the agency's 2015 net neutrality rules on Wednesday.Chairman Ajit Pai, a Republican, will likely announce a plan to reverse course on the 2-year-old regulations and end the agency's classification of broadband as a regulated, common-carrier service. In a Wednesday speech, Pai will reportedly announce that he is scheduling a vote for the FCC's May 18 meeting to begin the process of repealing the rules.Pai has called the net neutrality rules a mistake that "injected tremendous uncertainty into the broadband market." President Donald Trump, who appointed Pai as the FCC's chairman, has also criticized the regulations.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How your company needs to train workers in cybersecurity

With workplace cyberattacks on the rise, industry experts are pressing businesses to train their workers to be more vigilant than ever to protect passwords and sensitive data and to recognize threats.“It is imperative for organizations of all sizes to instill among employees the critical role they play in keeping their workplace safe and secure,” said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, a group that promotes education on the safe and secure use of the internet. The group's members include such major technology companies as Cisco, Facebook, Google, Intel and Microsoft.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How your company needs to train workers in cybersecurity

With workplace cyberattacks on the rise, industry experts are pressing businesses to train their workers to be more vigilant than ever to protect passwords and sensitive data and to recognize threats.“It is imperative for organizations of all sizes to instill among employees the critical role they play in keeping their workplace safe and secure,” said Michael Kaiser, executive director of the National Cyber Security Alliance, a group that promotes education on the safe and secure use of the internet. The group's members include such major technology companies as Cisco, Facebook, Google, Intel and Microsoft.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

DockerCon 2017 Day 2 Highlights

Following the general session highlights from DockerCon Day 1, we’re happy to share with you the video recording from general session day 2. All the slides will soon be published on our slideshare account and all the breakout session video recordings available on our DockerCon 2017 youtube playlist.

DockerCon 2017 Day 2 Highlights

Here’s what we covered during the day 2 general session:

  • 14:00 Docker Enterprise Edition at Visa
  • 30:00 Securing the Software supply chain
  • 65:00 Oracle applications now available on Docker Store
  • 75:00 Modernize your Traditional Apps Program with Docker

Docker Enterprise Edition at Visa

Ben started off his DockerCon Day 2 keynote with key facts and figures around Docker Commercial Adoption. To illustrate his points Ben invited on stage Swamy Kochelakota, Global Head of Infrastructure and Operations at Visa to talk about their journey adopting Docker Enterprise Edition to run their critical applications at scale in a very diverse environment.

Securing the Software supply chain

During the day 2 keynote, Lily and Vivek reprise their 2016 roles of dedicated burners, finally returning from Burning Man to get back to their jobs of enterprise dev and ops.  Ben returns as clueless business guy, and decides to add value by hiring a contractor, who Continue reading

IBM applies AI to factory QA

IBM's Watson artificial intelligence technology has found plenty of white-collar work in places like hospitals and banks, but soon it will be off to get its hands dirty on the factory floor.Working with ABB, a maker of industrial plant, IBM has developed a new AI assistant to help factory workers spot manufacturing defects on the production line.Connected to an existing industrial monitoring system, ABB Ability, it will help manufacturers improve speed, yield, and uptime, according to ABB.The Cognitive Visual Inspection system, as IBM calls it, pipes images from a UHD (ultra-high-definition) camera to an instance of IBM's Watson software that has been trained to detect and classify production faults in real time.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco switch taps into Time Sensitive Ethernet; software bolsters industrial network mgmt.

Cisco this week took the wraps off three products aimed at increasing the speed of communications while controlling and analyzing the substantial data stream of the factory floor.The products build on Cisco’s Connected Factory portfolio which offers a variety of technologies from networking and security to analytics the company says will help customers quickly and more securely integrate industrial automation and control with business systems while improving industrial and manufacturing operational costs and efficiency.+More on Network World: Ethernet: Are there worlds left to conquer?+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco switch taps into Time Sensitive Ethernet; software bolsters industrial network mgmt.

Cisco this week took the wraps off three products aimed at increasing the speed of communications while controlling and analyzing the substantial data stream of the factory floor.The products build on Cisco’s Connected Factory portfolio which offers a variety of technologies from networking and security to analytics the company says will help customers quickly and more securely integrate industrial automation and control with business systems while improving industrial and manufacturing operational costs and efficiency.+More on Network World: Ethernet: Are there worlds left to conquer?+To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Developing Software The Right Way, with Intent and Carefulness

This blog post / write-up is long overdue. I’m the guy that’s gone from electronics and hardware person, to embedded software, software, networking and now back to software with a keen interest in programmable hardware. Whilst I haven’t had to quite start from scratch in software again, it’s been a long journey to get proficient. Therefore, perusing Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, conference notes and videos, occasionally something comes up which is interesting. Psychologically, coding is interesting (note how no-one says programmer any more? Who writes programs?). It gives away something about your personality, current learned/learning state and your happiness levels. It gives away how you view the world and how you handle danger. Seriously. I can hear those thoughts that say “Whatever dude”. Look at how some developers handle failure prone code. Do they check for errors in a shotgun style approach, or with the accuracy of a sniper?

What caught my eye back in January was a Tweet from one of my coding heroes, William Kennedy. The top one started a thought process off that I’ve been chewing on for months.

@goinggodotnet
Thinking about the diff between ignorance vs carelessness as it relates to writing software. These two words Continue reading

Sketchy rumor claims Apple will release two iPhone 8 models this year

Just when we thought we had a grasp on Apple's 2017 iPhone plans, a sketchy rumor has entered the fray and turned everything upside down. According to a recent report from Micgadget, Apple this year will release only two brand new iPhone models. Recall, most other rumors we've seen thus far pointed to Apple releasing three new iPhones this year: an iPhone 7s, an iPhone 7s Plus, and an edgeless iPhone 8 with an OLED display.Micgadget's alleged sources within Foxconn, however, seem to claim otherwise. Some our friends from Foxconn confirmed that Foxconn received an order for two new models. It’s mean that Apple will [release] two, not three models.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Sponsored Post: Etleap, Pier 1, Aerospike, Loupe, Clubhouse, Stream, Scalyr, VividCortex, MemSQL, InMemory.Net, Zohocorp

Who's Hiring? 

  • Pier 1 Imports is looking for an amazing Sr. Website Engineer to join our growing team!  Our customer continues to evolve the way she prefers to shop, speak to, and engage with us at Pier 1 Imports.  Driving us to innovate more ways to surprise and delight her expectations as a Premier Home and Decor retailer.  We are looking for a candidate to be another key member of a driven agile team. This person will inform and apply modern technical expertise to website site performance, development and design techniques for Pier.com. To apply please email [email protected]. More details are available here.

  • Etleap is looking for Senior Data Engineers to build the next-generation ETL solution. Data analytics teams need solid infrastructure and great ETL tools to be successful. It shouldn't take a CS degree to use big data effectively, and abstracting away the difficult parts is our mission. We use Java extensively, and distributed systems experience is a big plus! See full job description and apply here.

  • Advertise your job here! 

Fun and Informative Events

  • DBTA Roundtable OnDemand Webinar: Leveraging Big Data with Hadoop, NoSQL and RDBMS. Watch this recent roundtable discussion hosted by DBTA Continue reading

Worth Reading: AI driven networks

Few realize how little has changed in the way that carriers and operators build, utilize and manage their networks. Whether due to the fact that carrier-grade performance relies on stringent, rigid equipment, or because the industry is held captive by giants who enjoy the status quo, the sad fact is that the industry has stagnated over the years. With the advent of 5G, this ‘stability’ will likely soon to come to an end. The sheer amount of traffic, and the different types of traffic traversing the network, will require a different way of networking. Networking will need to evolve to a new level, one where more of today’s currently manual tasks will be handed off to automation. Networking will require the induction of artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data, leading to a more ‘cognitive, self-driven’ type of network. —ECI

The post Worth Reading: AI driven networks appeared first on rule 11 reader.

Amazon’s ambitious global cloud expansion plans

Public IaaS cloud providers have been on a dizzying streak of announcing and opening new data centers to power their operations, and according to the CEO of Amazon Web Services Andy Jassy, that’s not expected to slow down any time soon.“We are not close to being done expanding geographically,” Jassy said at AWS’s San Francisco Summit last week. “I think virtually every tier one country will have an AWS region over time and I think many of the emergent countries will as well.”+MORE AT NETWORK WORLD: A peek inside Amazon’s cloud, from global scale to custom hardware | Deep dive comparison of cloud storage options from Amazon, Microsoft and Google +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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