I try out MSI’s Backpack PC portable VR gaming rig

When the combined armies of Zorg are firing photon weapons at you, 5 kilograms doesn't seem like much. Even the cables and straps that are a necessary part of MSI's Backpack PC fade into the background when you're immersed in a virtual reality game. That's what I discovered when I took MSI's new Backpack PC for a test spin on Wednesday at Computex in Taipei. The device is an entire gaming PC built into a backpack that allows for completely untethered virtual reality gaming. Current VR games run on a computer that sits on a desk or floor and stubbornly won't move as you jump around in a virtual world. It means long cables are needed and that can be a hazard and a hassle.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Reserved Internal Address Ranges

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I’ve added a new question to my own network integration checklist, specifically when integrating chassis-based or integrated solutions:

Does the system use any reserved internal address ranges?


Some chassis-based systems reserve private IP address ranges for inter-card communication. This is a perfectly fine setup as long as you, the network integrator, know what ranges are in use. However, you’ll have a frustrating case of ‘disappearing packets’, if you’re not aware that these ranges are in use. 
I first saw this issue  on an IXIA XM12 chassis a few years back. As I later discovered, each line card received a /24 from an RFC1918 address range. The supervisor used an IP address in each range to communicate with each line card. When I used a conflicting range in my testing the chassis would swallow my packets, and I was left scratching my head until I figured this out.
I thought this was a one-off, but I hit it again recently on an Ericsson Call Control Node. Same problem, but a little easier to detect this time. Nevertheless, I’ve been stung twice now on this issue, so I’ve added to my checklist and brought it to your attention.
If an appliance uses a reserved Continue reading

Report: Comcast and T-Mobile up, AT&T down in latest telecom customer service ratings

An annual customer satisfaction survey says that T-Mobile is now the highest-rated of America’s big four wireless carriers, and that Comcast is no longer the least-popular ISP in the country, among other results.+ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: New JavaScript spam wave distributes Locky ransomware + Google cleared of infringement in Oracle lawsuit over JavaThe American Customer Satisfaction Index, released today, found that the percentage of users satisfied by T-Mobile’s service rose 6% in year-over-year terms to 74%, while the wireless service provider industry as a whole saw a 1.4% improvement, to 71%. The only named provider to lose ground was TracFone, which dropped to 75% from 77% in 2015, though that still makes it the highest-rated in the category.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

You’ve been warned: FCC emphasizes that users of authorized wireless gear must obey rules

Just because your wireless equipment is authorized for use by the FCC doesn't mean you can do whatever the heck you please with it, according to an enforcement advisory issued by the commission just before the long weekend (see the entire warning below)."Authorized equipment must be used in a manner that complies with federal law and the Commission’s rules," reads the advisory, in part.While the advisory might appear to be stating the obvious, an FCC spokesman elaborates that "the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau is taking proactive measures to decrease the number of complaints about the use of authorized equipment in a manner that is not compliant with their authorizations.  Reducing complaint volume helps us handle those that do come in in a timely manner. The issue is an ongoing, steady problem."To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Report: Comcast and T-Mobile up, AT&T down in latest telecom customer service ratings

An annual customer satisfaction survey says that T-Mobile is now the highest-rated of America’s big four wireless carriers, and that Comcast is no longer the least-popular ISP in the country, among other results.+ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: New JavaScript spam wave distributes Locky ransomware + Google cleared of infringement in Oracle lawsuit over JavaThe American Customer Satisfaction Index, released today, found that the percentage of users satisfied by T-Mobile’s service rose 6% in year-over-year terms to 74%, while the wireless service provider industry as a whole saw a 1.4% improvement, to 71%. The only named provider to lose ground was TracFone, which dropped to 75% from 77% in 2015, though that still makes it the highest-rated in the category.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Xiaomi acquires patents from Microsoft ahead of US entry plans

Microsoft has agreed to transfer some patents to Xiaomi, ahead of plans by the Chinese smartphone maker to enter the U.S. and other advanced markets.The deal with Microsoft also involves Xiaomi bundling Microsoft Office and Skype on its Android smartphones and tablets, according to a statement issued by Microsoft on Tuesday.The smartphone company has agreed to buy about 1,500 patents from Microsoft, according to news reports. Xiaomi is also signing a cross-licensing agreement for some other patents with Microsoft."Expanding the Xiaomi-Microsoft partnership: new deal for Office & Skype pre-install, IP cross-license and patent transfer agreement,” Hugo Barra, vice president for  Xiaomi's global division, wrote in a twitter message.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Expanding the Options for Wave 2

By: Richard Watson, Product Marketing Manager 802.11ac has promised us a lot: faster data rates, more efficient use of RF spectra and transmission to multiple clients in the same instance. Now, 802.11ac’s full promise has come in the Wave 2...

No, it wasn’t just you: Super Mario Bros. is tougher than NP-hard

It’s OK, you’re old enough to admit it – you stunk at Super Mario Bros. The vaunted “feel” of Mario’s movement had you skidding into Koopas and off of cliffs, and the game eventually made you so frustrated that you eventually just played outside instead.And hey, now there’s scientific proof that the game really is just that hard, despite what your friend Jesse – who beat the whole thing with sickening ease – told you. A new paper co-written by researchers at MIT, the University of Ottawa, and Bard College at Simon’s Rock says that Super Mario Bros. belongs to the complexity class PSPACE, meaning it’s more difficult to “solve” algorithmically than the famous traveling-salesman problem or factoring large numbers, which are referred to as NP-hard.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Sirin Labs unveils luxury smartphone for security-conscious traveling executives

Today, Sirin Labs announced an ultra-secure luxury smartphone called the Solarin for the international business person who wants both style and security. It will compete with the category of phones produced by Silent Circle, GranitePhone, BlackBerry and Samsung phones with KNOX mobile security software.This is a well-timed introduction, matching the shift to mobile from PCs.Even with price of the Solarin starting at £9,500 (~$13,750), there is a market for smartphones that prove to be impenetrable. That’s because the cost of providing managed services to secure executives’ devices can be quite high. Also, the price of the phone is far less than the cost of a breach should a phone fall into the wrong hands.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Hey Rocket Turtle, Pimp My Ride!

This colloquialism for “make my vehicle better” is an appropriate perspective on our recently released Cumulus Linux 3.0, or as we like to say around the office, “3.0.” Our engineering team looked at the upcoming market changes and decided to give Cumulus Linux a pretty sweet makeover.

Screen Shot 2016-05-31 at 1.26.14 PM

Starting with the “IP mindset” that prevails in modern deployments, our team worked with the Linux kernel community to add Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) to the kernel and hardware support to Cumulus Linux. VRF is coupled with BGP unnumbered interfaces as an even simpler way to deploy multi-tenant dual-stack IPv4/IPv6 networks.

In parallel, we looked at the image installation and upgrade mechanisms, revamping the build, packaging, and base installer. As a result, 3.0 is based on Debian 8 (Jessie) and Linux kernel 4.1 tied together with an entire system that enables the development flexibility of Linux coupled with the testing and support required for wide-scale, enterprise production deployments.

All of this functional horsepower is applied to seven new hardware platforms continuing Cumulus Networks’ industry leading support for Open Networking systems. These platforms cover the gamut of speeds, feeds, and functions; introducing Mellanox Spectrum alongside Broadcom Tomahawk and Continue reading

Intel Lines Up ThunderX ARM Against Xeons

The datacenter is a battleground with many fronts these days, with intense competition between compute, memory, storage, and networking components. In terms of revenues, profits, and prestige, the compute territory is the most valuable that chip makers and their system partners are fighting for, and the ARM and OpenPower collectives are doing their best to take some ground from a very powerful Intel.

As such, chip makers end up comparing themselves to Intel Xeon or Atom processors, and Intel sometimes makes comparisons back. At the high end, Intel is battling the Power8 processor championed by IBM and to a lesser …

Intel Lines Up ThunderX ARM Against Xeons was written by Timothy Prickett Morgan at The Next Platform.

How to craft a security awareness program that works

Employees are often considered the weakest link in organizations' efforts to create a strong security posture. Even organizations with security awareness programs in place struggle to instill strong security behaviors. Steve Conrad, managing director of MediaPro, a learning services company that specializes in information security, data privacy and compliance, says organizations can and should do better.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

How to craft a security awareness program that works

Employees are often considered the weakest link in organizations' efforts to create a strong security posture. Even organizations with security awareness programs in place struggle to instill strong security behaviors. Steve Conrad, managing director of MediaPro, a learning services company that specializes in information security, data privacy and compliance, says organizations can and should do better.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Atari’s going to build IoT devices that talk over a low-power network

The latest entrant in the Internet of Things is legendary gaming company Atari, which plans to make consumer devices that communicate over the SigFox low-power network.The devices will be for homes, pets, lifestyle, and safety. Over the SigFox network, users will be able to see the location and status of their devices at all times, the companies said. They’re set to go into production this year.The Atari brand dates back to the 1970s, when the company introduced the early video game Pong and went on to make a series of popular video games and consoles. The company in its current form hasn’t been selling any form of hardware.SigFox is one of several startups building specialized networks for IoT devices. Its technology is designed to carry tiny amounts of data in two directions with low-power consumption so small, battery-operated devices can run for years without recharging.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

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