Arista Gives Tomahawk 25G Ethernet Some XPliant Competition

Processing for server compute has gotten more general purpose for the past two decades and is seeing resurgence in built-for-purpose chips. Network equipment makers have made their own specialized chips as well as buying merchant chips of varying kinds to meet very specific switching and routing needs.

Of the chip upstarts that are competing against industry juggernaut Cisco Systems, Arista Networks stands out as the company that decided from its founding in 2009 to rely only on merchant silicon for switches and to differentiate on speed to market and software functionality and commonality across many different switch ASICs with its …

Arista Gives Tomahawk 25G Ethernet Some XPliant Competition was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

Google publishes national security letters for the first time

Google is providing for the first time a look into the world of national security letters -- demands from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to hand over details about account holders and keep quiet about it.The letters are a part of business for Google and other major internet companies, but  traditionally they have been barred from acknowledging the letters' existence. That changed in 2013 when, in light of revelations about Internet surveillance by U.S. intelligence agencies, Google and others started fighting to disclose more about the demands.That led to the creation of Google's "transparency report," which revealed the company receives thousands of requests for user data each month from law enforcement agencies around the globe. The national security letters remained secret, but on Tuesday, Google published a handful that are no longer covered by nondisclosure rules.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google publishes national security letters for the first time

Google is providing for the first time a look into the world of national security letters -- demands from the Federal Bureau of Investigation to hand over details about account holders and keep quiet about it.The letters are a part of business for Google and other major internet companies, but  traditionally they have been barred from acknowledging the letters' existence. That changed in 2013 when, in light of revelations about Internet surveillance by U.S. intelligence agencies, Google and others started fighting to disclose more about the demands.That led to the creation of Google's "transparency report," which revealed the company receives thousands of requests for user data each month from law enforcement agencies around the globe. The national security letters remained secret, but on Tuesday, Google published a handful that are no longer covered by nondisclosure rules.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The New Tech Economy in Cloud Networking

Installing Ansible 2.2 on Ubuntu 16.04

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about installing Ansible 2.2 on Fedora 25; today, I’d like to tackle what’s involved in installing Ansible 2.2 on Ubuntu 16.04. This post, like its Fedora counterpart, stems from my ongoing evaluation of Linux distributions and desktop environments. While the information here is very similar to the information in the Fedora post, I’m putting it in its own post in the hopes of making the information easier for readers to find.

It’s not really a secret that I like to run Ansible in a Python virtualenv, but I don’t believe that it will make any difference to the procedure described in this post. The errors that result when trying to install Ansible 2.2 without the necessary prerequisite packages should be the same either way (in a virtualenv or not). However, I’m happy to be corrected if someone knows otherwise.

To create a Python virtualenv, you’ll first need virtualenv installed. I prefer to install virtualenv globally for all users using this command:

sudo -H pip install virtualenv

Alternately, you could install it via a package, with apt install virtualenv. As far as I can tell, either approach Continue reading

BrandPost: A Deep and Diverse Menu: VPNs for any needs

There are a variety of virtual private network (VPN) solutions available today.Let’s start off with a quick glance at the menu of options: Software-defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) Multiprotocol Label Switching (MLPS) Broadband Multiservice VPN Ethernet Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) Remote access services Cloud-connected The good news is there are site by site options to best meet the needs of your organization. So here’s a quick guide. SD-WAN: A fast-emerging VPN segment, according to Network World “SD-WANs allow customers to integrate multiple network connection types and let software intelligently route traffic based on application profiles and available network types.” MPLS: Long recognized as a preferred option for dedicated, high performance WAN connectivity, the MPLS VPN is enabled over a high-speed, single-carrier-operated network. It can handle different types of data streams and offers higher security and traffic policy enforcement. It’s idea for connecting data centers and major hubs. Broadband VPNs: Utilizing the public Internet via cable and DSL connections, broadband VPNs can connect two or more locations and provide high-speed connections to workers and small satellite locations, for applications that aren’t latency-sensitive. Multiservice VPNs: A hybrid VPN solution that combines highly secure connectivity for your business voice, video, data, Continue reading

Infoblox Intros Alliance Program to Offer Well-Rounded Security

This alliance integrates cloud, network, and security companies with Infoblox’s software.

Enterprises Relying on SOCs to Fight Security Threats

Security breaches are on the upswing, say 67 percent of enterprises surveyed.

AirPods now available for purchase, but supply is already limited

After a nearly two month delay, Apple today announced that its AirPods headphones are finally available for purchase. Apple initially introduced its AirPods in September and promised that they would be available by late October. However, some engineering challenges resulted in a delay that nearly stretched out until the new year.Indeed, it was widely anticipated that Apple's AirPods wouldn't be released until January 2017 at the earliest. Thankfully, Apple managed to fix whatever technical hurdles it was facing and opened up online orders earlier this morning.Per Apple's Newsroom:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Cisco’s Intercloud: Stick a Fork in It

Its demise was foreshadowed, but now it’s official.

‘Tis the Season to Decorate Your Playbook

The holidays are upon us. And while we can't automate your gift wrapping, we can make your Playbook more festive.

Introducing Ansible holiday-themed cowsay!

Copy and paste this code:

---
curl "https://gist.githubusercontent.com/jlaska/14bc829af01526add07efcaa83582aaf/raw/5f4918be06ffa69ea848354c5563c6a2d7b59807/happy_holidays.sh" | bash

Decorations are popping up everywhere so why not in your Playbook?

Share your designs with #AnsibleCowsay @ansible

Tweet #AnsibleCowsay

Ascii sources: chris.com and ascii-code.com

Don’t like Russian cyberspies? Tips to stop state-sponsored hackers

Be wary around random, but legitimate-looking emails popping up in your inbox. A foreign government may be using them to try to hack you.That may sound far-fetched, but Russian cyberspies allegedly stole sensitive files from Democratic groups and figures using this very tactic. In some cases, the spoofed emails pretended to be from Google and managed to trick victims into giving up their login details, paving the way for a series of high-profile hacks that rocked this year’s presidential election.But even as the presidential race is over, cybersecurity experts warn that state-sponsored hackers remain a dangerous threat. Political organizations, businesses, and universities all should be on guard -- you’re probably already in their crosshairs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Don’t like Russian cyberspies? Tips to stop state-sponsored hackers

Be wary around random, but legitimate-looking emails popping up in your inbox. A foreign government may be using them to try to hack you.That may sound far-fetched, but Russian cyberspies allegedly stole sensitive files from Democratic groups and figures using this very tactic. In some cases, the spoofed emails pretended to be from Google and managed to trick victims into giving up their login details, paving the way for a series of high-profile hacks that rocked this year’s presidential election.But even as the presidential race is over, cybersecurity experts warn that state-sponsored hackers remain a dangerous threat. Political organizations, businesses, and universities all should be on guard -- you’re probably already in their crosshairs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Worth Reading: Hype driven development

HDD happens when a development team picks the “newest, hottest technology” to use on a project, based on how the technology is trending on Twitter, or on a number of enthusiastic blog posts or conference talks. A key symptom of HDD is that contrary to the hype, progress doesn’t speed up when the new tech is developed but just the opposite: work slows to a crawl. —The New Stack

The post Worth Reading: Hype driven development appeared first on 'net work.

Cortana gets IoT integration, support for third-party skills

Microsoft’s Cortana virtual assistant is getting a lot smarter. On Tuesday, the company announced a set of developer tools aimed at bringing it into the internet of things, and adding support for developers to build new functionality for it.The makers of IoT devices like speakers and cars will be able to use a Microsoft software development kit to integrate Cortana into their products. In addition, developers will be able to build custom integrations that add capabilities to Microsoft’s virtual assistant.Microsoft is also launching a new service designed to help users simplify the process of scheduling meetings. Cortana will help find openings on a user’s calendar and work with meeting participants to find a time that works for everyone.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google’s taking Brillo into smart homes with Android Things

Android is headed to the internet of things in the form of Android Things, an operating system that grew out of Project Brillo and will be able to get updates directly from Google.With the home IoT industry still emerging from the hobbyist realm to mass market, Android’s traction in the smartphone realm could make it a popular platform for devices like lights, locks, thermostats, and household appliances that consumers want to manage through their phones.On Tuesday, Google announced a developer preview of Android Things, which will be able to run on the Raspberry Pi 3, Intel Edison, and NXP Pico hardware platforms. It will be easy for developers to scale their prototypes up to large production runs using custom versions of those boards, Google says.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google’s taking Brillo into smart homes with Android Things

Android is headed to the internet of things in the form of Android Things, an operating system that grew out of Project Brillo and will be able to get updates directly from Google. With the home IoT industry still emerging from the hobbyist realm to mass market, Android’s traction in the smartphone realm could make it a popular platform for devices like lights, locks, thermostats, and household appliances that consumers want to manage through their phones. On Tuesday, Google announced a developer preview of Android Things, which will be able to run on the Raspberry Pi 3, Intel Edison, and NXP Pico hardware platforms. It will be easy for developers to scale their prototypes up to large production runs using custom versions of those boards, Google says.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

5 recovery environments for tricky Windows 10 repairs

If you work with Windows systems, especially on the client side, you’ll occasionally need to bring an inoperable system back to life. The causes of this lamentable system state are as varied as the symptoms, which can range from an inability to boot Windows to a non-functional keyboard or display (hard to do anything in Windows without input or output). Despite all the many potential causes and symptoms, the situation remains the same: For whatever reason, a Windows system won’t start up and run as it should.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

The Ring Stick Up Cam. Don’t bother.

Just over a year ago I reviewed the Ring ($199), a security camera that replaces your conventional doorbell and lets you not only see who’s ringing your doorbell but also talk with them. The Ring doorbell provides movement detection with optional cloud video recording for a monthly fee ($3 per month).While I liked the product conceptually, the startup lag (the time between detecting movement and when recording begins, usually a delay of a few seconds) is long enough that fast moving people like the Fedex guy can come and go before the device starts recording and the so-so video quality led me to give it a Gearhead rating of 3.5 out of 5.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Ring Stick Up Cam. Don’t bother.

Just over a year ago I reviewed the Ring ($199), a security camera that replaces your conventional doorbell and lets you not only see who’s ringing your doorbell but also talk with them. The Ring doorbell provides movement detection with optional cloud video recording for a monthly fee ($3 per month).While I liked the product conceptually, the startup lag (the time between detecting movement and when recording begins, usually a delay of a few seconds) is long enough that fast moving people like the Fedex guy can come and go before the device starts recording and the so-so video quality led me to give it a Gearhead rating of 3.5 out of 5.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here