Chip companies working to make Wi-Fi more maker-friendly

Texas Instruments and MediaTek have launched new offerings aimed at making it easier to build IoT (Internet of Things) devices with Wi-Fi connectivity.The chip makers have realized that their future isn't just in selling products to big companies, but also to a growing maker community whose products also need Wi-Fi connectivity.This week TI expanded its SimpleLink portfolio with two new modules, which promise to help add Wi-Fi connectivity without requiring any network experience. A similar promise came from MediaTek earlier this month when it launched a new Wi-Fi development platform.INSIDER: 5 ways to prepare for Internet of Things security threats To jump start Wi-Fi development, TI now offers the CC3100 module BoosterPack and the CC3200 module LaunchPad, which include an SDK and sample boards that can be connected directly to a PC.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

With $15 in Radio Shack parts, 14-year-old hacks a car

A teenager not even old enough to drive a car was able to wirelessly connect to a vehicle's internal computer network and control various functions.The 14-year-old built an electronic remote auto communications device with $15 worth of Radio Shack parts that were assembled in less than a night.Auto executives at a conference this week sponsored by the Center for Automotive Research revealed how stunned they were by the feat, which actually happened last summer, noting it shed light on the need for greater security as vehicles gain more wireless capabilities.MORE: 10 mobile startups to watch The boy, whose name is not being released, was among 30 other students ranging in age from high school to college undergraduates to PhD students who participated in the third annual Battelle CyberAuto Challenge. The year, make and models of the cars experimented on during the challenge were not disclosed.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Python and Jinja2 Tutorial

“How should I get started with Network Automation?” I am often asked this question by network engineers looking to build new programming skills.  If you are brand new to writing Python scripts and are looking for an easy on-ramp to the network automation superhighway, I’d suggest starting with Jinja2 – the de-facto python template engine.  Template building […]

Author information

Jeremy Schulman

Making network automation humanly possible

20 year networking industry veteran. Field sales, automation solution architect, technical business development and software engineer by trade. Open-source contributor to Ansible, Puppet and Chef. I enjoy empowering others to be successful with network automation.

TwitterGoogle+LinkedIn

The post Python and Jinja2 Tutorial appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Jeremy Schulman.

Apple Car to be released in 2020, report claims

In just a week's time, the news cycle around Apple has transitioned from the impending launch of the Apple Watch to reports that the company is actively working to develop an electric car.More than just an anonymously sourced rumor, a number of reputable publications have all reported that Apple is looking to get into the car industry. Tthe Wall Street Journal, for example, reported a few days ago that Tim Cook has already authorized the development of a 1,000 strong team to get things rolling.Stoking the Apple car rumors considerably is a recent report from Bloomberg which relays that Apple has designs to begin vehicle production as early as 2020. Now given that the car manufacturing process for a veteran automaker-- from design to production -- can often take upwards of 7 years, a five year time frame for a newbie like Apple seems curiously short.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

PlexxiPulse—Simply A Better Network

As enterprises move from experimentation to full-fledged deployments of Big Data, supporting networks need to have the capabilities to support increased bandwidth. Our CEO, Rich Napolitano spoke with CRN’s Meghan Ottolini on this very subject recently. Rich explains how Plexxi’s architecture is designed to scale out to accommodate the next era of technology applications. See below for video footage; it’s definitely worth a look before you head out for your weekend.

Please find a few of our top picks for our favorite news articles of the week. Enjoy!

Nashua Telegraph: Plexxi likes the Nashua network
By David Brooks
There are plenty of reasons to locate a tech startup in one place rather than another. For networking firm Plexxi, part of Nashua’s appeal is institutional memory. “There’s definitely a talent base up here, from the days of Wang, DataGeneral and Digital. That’s a very complex, system-oriented world, ” said Rich Napolitano, who has been CEO since November, and whose first job out of college was at Digital Equipment Corp. in almost the same building where Plexxi now resides.

New York Times: HP Targets Cisco and Facebook With New Line of Open-Source Networking Gear
By Quentin Hardy
Hewlett-Packard said on Thursday that Continue reading

Apple reportedly exposing iOS to first public open beta

wikipedia The Apple community is buzzing today over a report from 9-to-5 Mac that the iPhone and iPad maker will be holding its first public open beta for iOS next month. This would be Apple's latest effort to do away with buggy releases for its mobile operating system. Early adopters of iOS 8 ran into various troubles, as did those early to download the first updates to that OS.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Apple reportedly exposing iOS to first public open beta

wikipedia The Apple community is buzzing today over a report from 9-to-5 Mac that the iPhone and iPad maker will be holding its first public open beta for iOS next month. This would be Apple's latest effort to do away with buggy releases for its mobile operating system. Early adopters of iOS 8 ran into various troubles, as did those early to download the first updates to that OS.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Network Break 28

Coffee, doughnuts and networking. A perfect combination.

Author information

Greg Ferro

Greg Ferro is a Network Engineer/Architect, mostly focussed on Data Centre, Security Infrastructure, and recently Virtualization. He has over 20 years in IT, in wide range of employers working as a freelance consultant including Finance, Service Providers and Online Companies. He is CCIE#6920 and has a few ideas about the world, but not enough to really count.

He is a host on the Packet Pushers Podcast, blogger at EtherealMind.com and on Twitter @etherealmind and Google Plus.

TwitterFacebookGoogle+LinkedIn

The post Network Break 28 appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Greg Ferro.

Google agrees to Italian privacy authority audits in the US

Google has agreed to on-the-spot audits at its U.S. headquarters in order to comply with Italy’s data protection laws.The Italian data protection authority (DPA) imposed several privacy measures on Google after an investigation into the company’s policies that was completed in July 2014. On Friday, the authority said Google will comply with all demands.The process to verify compliance calls for the DPA to check up on Google’s progress at its U.S. headquarters. It remains unclear when that will happen, though. “There is no precise appointment at the moment but there is an agreement to be able to go there,” a spokesman for the authority said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Enabling and Mounting NFS on CoreOS

I’ve written about CoreOS a fair amount (see here, here, and here), but one of the things that is both good and bad about CoreOS is the automatic update mechanism. It’s good because you know your systems will stay up to date, but it’s bad if you haven’t taken the time to properly address how automatic updates will affect your environment (for example, you’ve manually started some Docker containers instead of using systemd unit files—when the CoreOS system reboots after an update, your Docker containers will no longer be running). Re-architecting your environment to fully account for this change in architecture and behavior is a larger discussion than can be addressed in a single blog post, but in this post I want to at least tackle one small part of the discussion: separating your persistent data. In this post, I’ll show you how to mount an NFS share on a CoreOS instance deployed on OpenStack (or any cloud that leverages cloud-init).

Now, you could probably go into your CoreOS instance and manually make these changes, but that’s still thinking the old way. In addition to thinking about keeping persistent data separate, we (data center/cloud architects) also need Continue reading

Cisco’s EoS announcement for the ASA CX Modules and Cisco Prime Security Manager

CCDE and CCAr Certificates – FAQ

CCDE is the de facto expert level, vendor neutral, and infrastructure network design certification in the industry.   I have been helping to CCDE community for a while through my packet pushers articles and podcasts. I started couple months before to write about network design and CCDE related articles on my blog http://orhanergun.net as well. […]

Author information

Orhan Ergun

Orhan Ergun, CCIE, CCDE, is a network architect mostly focused on service providers, data centers, virtualization and security.

He has more than 10 years in IT, and has worked on many network design and deployment projects. Host on the packetpushers community channel.
@OrhanErgunCCDE

TwitterGoogle+LinkedIn

The post CCDE and CCAr Certificates – FAQ appeared first on Packet Pushers Podcast and was written by Orhan Ergun.

Networking Field Day – Afterthoughts – New SolarWinds features.

Sensors and lasers will help Volvo’s self-driving cars stay on the road

A complex network of sensors, lasers and a cloud-based positioning system are part of a plan from Volvo Cars to have 100 self-driving cars on the road by 2017.Volvo’s project to put self-driving cars on the streets of Gothenburg is entering its second year. It aims to let ordinary people drive a car with an autopilot in normal traffic on public roads. On Thursday, Volvo gave some insights into the technology it will use to integrate self-driving cars into real traffic.“The key to success is combining sensors, computers and a chassis system in a clever way,” said Erik Coelingh, a technical specialist at Volvo.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IoT network will look to the skies for better coverage

Wide-area wireless networks for connecting Internet of Things devices may go global through a partnership between hot IoT startup Sigfox and aerospace company Airbus.Sigfox builds long-range networks for devices such as sensors that need a wireless connection but are too small and power-constrained for cellular radios. Its networks use unlicensed frequencies and don't go more than a few hundred bits per second, but they cost as little as US$1 per connection, per year.The French company has now joined the Mustang Project, co-founded by Airbus Defence and Space and two R&D partners in France. The project plans to combine Sigfox's terrestrial networks with satellite coverage to achieve global coverage.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IoT network will look to the skies for better coverage

Wide-area wireless networks for connecting Internet of Things devices may go global through a partnership between hot IoT startup Sigfox and aerospace company Airbus.Sigfox builds long-range networks for devices such as sensors that need a wireless connection but are too small and power-constrained for cellular radios. Its networks use unlicensed frequencies and don't go more than a few hundred bits per second, but they cost as little as US$1 per connection, per year.The French company has now joined the Mustang Project, co-founded by Airbus Defence and Space and two R&D partners in France. The project plans to combine Sigfox's terrestrial networks with satellite coverage to achieve global coverage.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Friday, February 20

Intelligence agencies may have your phone’s encryption keysBritish and American government agents hacked into SIM card maker Gemalto’s network to take smartphone encryption keys potentially used by customers of hundreds of mobile phone carriers worldwide. That let the spy agencies monitor a vast swathe of the world’s mobile phone voice and data traffic, reported The Intercept. It’s the latest revelation from the trove of information leaked by former NSA analyst Edward Snowden.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

The Upload: Your tech news briefing for Friday, February 20

Intelligence agencies may have your phone’s encryption keysBritish and American government agents hacked into SIM card maker Gemalto’s network to take smartphone encryption keys potentially used by customers of hundreds of mobile phone carriers worldwide. That let the spy agencies monitor a vast swathe of the world’s mobile phone voice and data traffic, reported The Intercept. It’s the latest revelation from the trove of information leaked by former NSA analyst Edward Snowden.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

11 portable power chargers that are dressed to impress

Looking good and working wellImage by ShutterstockOne sign of a successful technology is when manufacturers start considering how it looks as well as how it works. Take portable battery chargers: Once upon a time, they were clunky, heavy and came mostly in basic black; not exactly the kind of thing that you wanted to haul out during a business lunch (unless you needed to impress your guest with how seriously geeky you were).To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Is the Samsung Galaxy S6 about to become the coolest Android phone ever?

Gauging what a smartphone is going to look like before its released is sort of like solving one of those toss-up puzzles on Wheel of Fortune – the answer gets clearer the longer you wait.And the Samsung Galaxy S6 – probably the most-hyped smartphone being made by a company besides Apple – is no exception. While its release at the upcoming Mobile World Congress may yet provide a surprise or two, it seems fairly obvious that the Galaxy S6 will be a slick, metallic powerhouse of a device.+ ALSO ON NETWORK WORLD: Vendors lay groundwork for 5G with greener and faster mobile networks | Commercial spyware invades enterprises +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here