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Amazon’s amazingly wasteful packaging

“Why did they come in such a big box,” asks my 14-year-old daughter, Emma, who is hopeful she won’t need them – special dental flossers for kids who wear braces – beyond summer’s end. But she needs them now and none were available at my local grocery or two pharmacies, so, I had resorted to Amazon. Two days later, a box big enough to hold a DVD player lands on our doorstep carrying two tiny packages of 24 flossers, the pair wrapped tightly together in more Amazon plastic. The box measures 15.5 by 13 by 3.5 inches.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Network, host, and application monitoring for Amazon EC2

Microservices describes how visibility into network traffic is the key to monitoring, managing and securing applications that are composed of large numbers of communicating services running in virtual machines or containers.
Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) Flow Logs can be used to monitor network traffic:

• VPC Flow Logs
• VPC Flow Logs – Log and View Network Traffic Flows

However, there are limitations on the types of traffic that are logged, a 10-15 minute delay in accessing flow records, and costs associated with using VPC and storing the logs in CloudWatch (currently $0.50 per GB ingested, $0.03 per GB archived per month, and possible addition Data Transfer OUT charges).

In addition, collecting basic host metrics at 1 minute granularity using CloudWatch is an additional $3.50 per instance per month.

The open source Host sFlow agent offers an alternative:

1. Lightweight, requiring minimal CPU and memory on EC2 instances.
2. Real-time, up to the second network visibility
3. Efficient, export of extensive set of host metrics every 10-60 seconds (configurable).

This article will demonstrate how to install Host sFlow on an Amazon Linux instance:

$ cat /etc/issue
Amazon Linux AMI release 2016.03

The following commands build the latest Continue reading

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Tetris comes to Megaprocessor

The game Tetris has gone through many configurations over its 30-plus years in existence (including on an MIT building in in a pumpkin), but perhaps none is more impressive than a Cambridge, England man's version running on a giant homemade computer.The BBC reports on James Newman, who has been building his 33-foot wide, 6-foot high Megaprocessor since 2012, and has shared a series of Youtube videos about the project, including a demo of the behemoth running Tetris.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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21% off SentrySafe Fire-Safe Waterproof File Storage Box – Deal Alert

Where do you store your most important CD's, DVD's, USB drives and documents? Are they protected from fire and water damage, if that "worst-case scenario" actually happens? SentrySafe's HD4100CG storage box is UL classified with 1/2-hour fire protection and ETL verified 1/2 hour fire protection for CD's, DVD's, USB drivers and memory sticks up to 1550F. It’s also ETL verified waterproof. It measures roughly 11x8 with a 9-inch depth. It currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 300 customers (read reviews) and its list price of $85 has been reduced by 21% to $68. See the discounted SentrySafe HD4100CG Fire-Safe Waterproof File now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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21% off SentrySafe Fire-Safe Waterproof File Storage Box – Deal Alert

Where do you store your most important CD's, DVD's, USB drives and documents? Are they protected from fire and water damage, if that "worst-case scenerio" actually happens? SentrySafe's HD4100CG storage box is UL classified with 1/2-hour fire protection and ETL verified 1/2 hour fire protection for CD's, DVD's, USB drivers and memory sticks up to 1550F. It’s also ETL verified waterproof. It measures roughly 11x8 with a 9-inch depth. It currently averages 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon from over 300 customers (read reviews) and its list price of $85 has been reduced by 21% to $68. See the discounted SentrySafe HD4100CG Fire-Safe Waterproof File now on Amazon.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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New Tor-powered backdoor program targets Macs

Security researchers have found a new backdoor program that allows attackers to hijack Mac systems and control them over the Tor network.The new malware has been dubbed Backdoor.MAC.Eleanor by researchers from antivirus vendor Bitdefender and is distributed as a file converter application through reputable websites that offer Mac software.The rogue application is called EasyDoc Converter. Once installed it displays a fake interface where users can supposedly drag and drop files for conversion, but which in reality doesn't do anything.In the background, the application executes a shell script that installs multiple malicious components in a folder called “/Users/$USER/Library/.dropbox." The Dropbox name is used to make the malware harder to spot and has nothing to do with the legitimate Dropbox file synchronization software.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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New Tor-powered backdoor program targets Macs

Security researchers have found a new backdoor program that allows attackers to hijack Mac systems and control them over the Tor network.The new malware has been dubbed Backdoor.MAC.Eleanor by researchers from antivirus vendor Bitdefender and is distributed as a file converter application through reputable websites that offer Mac software.The rogue application is called EasyDoc Converter. Once installed it displays a fake interface where users can supposedly drag and drop files for conversion, but which in reality doesn't do anything.In the background, the application executes a shell script that installs multiple malicious components in a folder called “/Users/$USER/Library/.dropbox." The Dropbox name is used to make the malware harder to spot and has nothing to do with the legitimate Dropbox file synchronization software.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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MOOCs put a new spin on professional development

Massive open online courses, or MOOCs, bring to enterprise training and professional development some of the same qualities that companies seek in their IT systems and infrastructure: agility, efficiency and cost effectiveness.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

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Solarwinds Geek Speak

I’m sharing some articles I wrote on the Solarwinds Geek Speak blog.  I recommend you start with the 80/20 rule below post below before reading through the rest.

• The 80-20 Rule of Analysis and Optimisation
• Start with Continuous Improvement, then do DevOps
• The pain of network variation – part 1
• The pain of network variation – part 2

A disclaimer: Solarwinds didn’t ask me to promote these posts –  I’m sharing them because they’re posts I would have otherwise published on this blog.

Add a comment below if anything strikes a chord, or if you want to disagree, correct me, etc.

The post Solarwinds Geek Speak appeared first on NetworkSherpa.

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Solarwinds Geek Speak

I wrote a few articles for the Solarwinds Geek Speak blog that I’d like to share. They are short articles, but I think you’ll find some value in each. Start with the 80/20 rule below post below and read the rest if … Continue reading →

The post Solarwinds Geek Speak appeared first on The Network Sherpa.

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Should I Learn Cisco UCS or OpenStack ?

I'm looking at Cisco UCS or OpenStack but can't choose which to pursue.

The post Should I Learn Cisco UCS or OpenStack ? appeared first on EtherealMind.

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Google buys sneaker-scanning machine learning company Moodstocks

Someone at Google really likes sneakers: The company has just bought a French machine learning startup that taught a computer how to recognize 15,000 different types of them.Paris-based Moodstocks builds image and object recognition software using deep learning techniques, and offered an Android app and visual search API that could recognize certain kinds of object. By analyzing video from a smartphone camera, and correlating it with accelerometer readings to determine how the camera is moving around, the software is able to infer information about the three-dimensional shape of objects in the video, facilitating their recognition.In February 2015 the company demonstrated its ability to identify sneakers through its app. Three months later, after training the software using 15,000 photos of shoes from an online retailer's website, Moodstocks claimed to be able to shop online for all the sneakers on sale in a Macy's store.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Democrats support ‘ambitious’ tech investment

The just-released draft of the Democratic party platform calls for increasing investments in science and technology research. It supports net neutrality and expansion of high-speed broadband networks. But its biggest push is in the areas of clean energy and infrastructure investment.The platform says nothing about the offshore outsourcing of IT jobs and other types of work susceptible to offshoring. It is silent on the use of H-1B visa, similar to the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.Clinton has not discussed the temporary visa program and doesn't mention it in her platform, but does call for "stapling" or nearly automatic green cards for STEM advanced degree graduates.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Democrats support ‘ambitious’ tech investment

The just-released draft of the Democratic party platform calls for increasing investments in science and technology research. It supports net neutrality and expansion of high-speed broadband networks. But its biggest push is in the areas of clean energy and infrastructure investment.The platform says nothing about the offshore outsourcing of IT jobs and other types of work susceptible to offshoring. It is silent on the use of H-1B visa, similar to the presumptive Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton.Clinton has not discussed the temporary visa program and doesn't mention it in her platform, but does call for "stapling" or nearly automatic green cards for STEM advanced degree graduates.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Review: Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS shines

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) represents the first release from Canonical to deliver long-term support since 2011 (version 14). While the latest improvements may not be entirely revolutionary, Ubuntu 16.04 rounds up exciting features to fortify the server base and enhance the desktop experience. InfoWorld reviewed the new desktop release in April. In this review, I’ll focus on the server.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

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Review: Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS shines

Ubuntu 16.04 LTS (Xenial Xerus) represents the first release from Canonical to deliver long-term support since 2011 (version 14). While the latest improvements may not be entirely revolutionary, Ubuntu 16.04 rounds up exciting features to fortify the server base and enhance the desktop experience. InfoWorld reviewed the new desktop release in April. In this review, I’ll focus on the server.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here(Insider Story)

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Response: CAM Table Basics

This post is a response to Greg Ferro’s recent Basics posts on (Content Addressable Memory) CAM tables. As this is a response post, you can assume that I don’t agree entirely with all of his definitions. Alternatively, perhaps I am totally wrong and I need to go back and relearn how CAM works. Either way, Greg loves a good spar, so maybe together with our readers we can determine the truth in an understandable format for the betterment of everybody who isn’t a hardcore digital electronics engineer.

Greg’s Posts

Before continuing, I’d recommend should go reading these posts as context, since they are the basis for this post:

Basics: What is Content Addressable Memory (CAM) ?
Basics: What is Binary CAM (BCAM) ?
Basics: What is Ternary Content Address Memory (TCAM) ?

I’ll now address my concerns post by post below.

What is CAM

A CAM cell in the chip actually consists of two SRAM cells. SRAM requires requires extensive silicon gates to implement that require a lot of power per gate for fast switching. In a chip, power consumption generates heat and leads to limits on thermal dissipation by the limited footprint of a chip. This is a key factor on the Continue reading

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Rio Olympics pose security risks to travelers

Police officers held up a sign saying "Welcome to Hell" at the Rio airport last week, according to local and international news reports, and the region's acting governor warned of a total collapse in public security. More funding is on its way, but it might not be enough to make a difference in time for the Olympic games. Meanwhile, physical safety isn't the only thing that travelers need to worry about -- security experts warn that travelers need to be extremely careful when they access computer networks, as well.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 26 crazy and scary things the TSA has found on travelers "The Rio situation is a mess," said Shaun Murphy, CEO at communication security firm PrivateGiant. "I would suspect that from a cyber security front, it's going to be just as messy."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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Rio Olympics pose security risks to travelers

Police officers held up a sign saying "Welcome to Hell" at the Rio airport last week, according to local and international news reports, and the region's acting governor warned of a total collapse in public security. More funding is on its way, but it might not be enough to make a difference in time for the Olympic games. Meanwhile, physical safety isn't the only thing that travelers need to worry about -- security experts warn that travelers need to be extremely careful when they access computer networks, as well.MORE ON NETWORK WORLD: 26 crazy and scary things the TSA has found on travelers "The Rio situation is a mess," said Shaun Murphy, CEO at communication security firm PrivateGiant. "I would suspect that from a cyber security front, it's going to be just as messy."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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IDG Contributor Network: Smartphone upgrade cycle dramatically slowing, study finds

Despite a barrage of new handsets launched by phone manufacturers on an annual or half-yearly basis, consumers are drastically curtailing their phone upgrades, new research has found.And many are now waiting for “phones to die before replacing them,” speculates eMarketer, which has been writing about digital advertising company Fluent’s replacement cycle study.The reason for the slowdown is said to be a combination of the demise of the two-year phone contract from mobile network operators (MNOs) and a lack of ground-breaking technology exciting consumers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here