Ethan Banks and Ned Bellavance hosted a panel discussion at VMworld 2021 with two VMware customers using VMware Cloud---the University of Miami and Sterling National Bank. This discussion looks at what works, where the customers ran into issues, and how their cloud journeys are progressing.
“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.” — Sherlock Holmes
Intro
It’s not every day that you get to debug what may well be a packet of death. It was certainly the first time for me.
What do I mean by “a packet of death”? A software bug where the network stack crashes in reaction to a single received network packet, taking down the whole operating system with it. Like in the well known case of Windows ping of death.
Challenge accepted.
It starts with an oops
Around a year ago we started seeing kernel crashes in the Linux ipv4 stack. Servers were crashing sporadically, but we learned the hard way to never ignore cases like that — when possible we always trace crashes. We also couldn’t tie it to a particular kernel version, which could indicate a regression which hopefully could be tracked down to a single faulty change in the Linux kernel.
The crashed servers were leaving behind only a crash report, affectionately known as a “kernel oops”. Let’s take a look at it and go over what information we have there.
ITRenew has announced that Pluribus Netvisor ONE OS and the Adaptive Cloud Fabric controllerless SDN software are now available as part of Sesame by ITRenew rack-scale cloud solutions. Pluribus is very pleased to take part in this new circular approach to building data centers; one where we can deliver a cloud operating model with on-prem performance, while also helping our customers achieve their sustainability goals.
The timing of this partnership is apropos given the global attention to COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference and ongoing efforts worldwide to scale back emissions. While all industries have a responsibility on this front, the data center industry has specific, well-documented sustainability challenges that are only just starting to be properly addressed.
Most efforts to build the “green data center” have largely focused on increasing energy efficiency and using renewable energy sources, even though power used during the operational phase is only part of the problem. The bigger environmental culprit is that the industry continues to manufacture and deploy brand-new IT infrastructure equipment at a rapid pace.
ITRenew has announced that Pluribus Netvisor ONE OS and the Adaptive Cloud Fabric controllerless SDN software are now available as part of Sesame by ITRenew rack-scale cloud solutions.
Dan Augustine sent me a wonderful example illustrating how even a very simple data model together with some automation templates can simplify a large-scale deployment.
We have a 100 router installation coming up for our schools and both of our installation vendors do not use open source templating tools and they are not willing to share.
Dan Augustine sent me a wonderful example illustrating how even a very simple data model together with some automation templates can simplify a large-scale deployment.
We have a 100 router installation coming up for our schools and both of our installation vendors do not use open source templating tools and they are not willing to share.
The term "cheat sheet" has long been used to refer to listings of commands with quick explanations and examples that help people get used to running them on the Linux command line and understanding their many options.Most Linux users have, at one time or another, relied on cheat sheets to get them started. There is, however, a tool called "cheat" that comes with a couple hundred cheat sheets and that installs quickly and easily on Fedora and likely many other Linux systems. Read on to see how the cheat command works.Finding installed packages on Fedora Linux systems
First, to install cheat on Fedora, use a command like one of these:To read this article in full, please click here
The term "cheat sheet" has long been used to refer to listings of commands with quick explanations and examples that help people get used to running them on the Linux command line and understanding their many options.Most Linux users have, at one time or another, relied on cheat sheets to get them started. There is, however, a tool called "cheat" that comes with a couple hundred cheat sheets and that installs quickly and easily on Fedora and likely many other Linux systems. Read on to see how the cheat command works.Finding installed packages on Fedora Linux systems
First, to install cheat on Fedora, use a command like one of these:To read this article in full, please click here
The PowerShell Get-WindowsFeature command—or, more properly, cmdlet—can retrieve a list of Windows features, including server roles, that are installed on a server or workstation running Windows, making it a handy tool for server admins.Learning about it can point up its value and how a broader knowledge of PowerShell commands may lead to more efficient administration of Windows servers.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.]
Tim Ferrill
By default, the output of the Get-WindowsFeature cmdlet provides something of a hierarchical view with individual features having boxes checked or not depending on their installation status. (Click to expand the image at left.) This is great for quickly eyeballing a single server to get an idea of what functions it provides, but as the list contains upwards of 250 roles and features, it starts to lose practicality when you are looking for a specific set of features or want to inventory multiple servers in a single pass.To read this article in full, please click here
The PowerShell Get-WindowsFeature command—or, more properly, cmdlet—can retrieve a list of Windows features, including server roles, that are installed on a server or workstation running Windows, making it a handy tool for server admins.Learning about it can point up its value and how a broader knowledge of PowerShell commands may lead to more efficient administration of Windows servers.[Get regularly scheduled insights by signing up for Network World newsletters.]
Tim Ferrill
By default, the output of the Get-WindowsFeature cmdlet provides something of a hierarchical view with individual features having boxes checked or not depending on their installation status. (Click to expand the image at left.) This is great for quickly eyeballing a single server to get an idea of what functions it provides, but as the list contains upwards of 250 roles and features, it starts to lose practicality when you are looking for a specific set of features or want to inventory multiple servers in a single pass.To read this article in full, please click here
Juniper Networks has rolled out a cloud-based service that uses AI to manage everything from network inventory and configuration details to device status and contract information.Juniper Support Insights securely gathers network information from Juniper’s Junos switching and routing portfolio, including ACX, EX, MX, PTX, QFX, and SRX Series platforms and provides it to the Juniper cloud.
Learn more about 5G and WiFi 6
What is 5G? How is it better than 4G?
How to determine if WiFi 6 is right for you
What is MU-MIMO? Why do you need it in your wireless routers?
When to use 5G, when to use WiFi 6
How enterprises can prep for 5G networks
The Junos devices can connect directly to the cloud or via Lightweight Collector, an on-premises appliance that can link up to 20,000 devices to the cloud.To read this article in full, please click here
The rapid movement of data to the cloud, the sharp rise in the amount of east-west traffic and the broadening adoption of modern applications like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are putting stress on traditional networking infrastructures that were designed for a different era and are struggling to meet the demands for better performance, more bandwidth and less latency. …
In this blog post, I will be talking about label standard and best practices for Kubernetes security. This is a common area where I see organizations struggle to define the set of labels required to meet their security requirements. My advice is to always start with a hierarchical security design that is capable of achieving your enterprise security and compliance requirements, then define your label standard in alignment with your design. This is not meant to be a comprehensive guide for all your label requirements, but rather a framework that guides you through developing your own label standard to meet your specific security requirements.
Kubernetes labels for network policies
Labels are key/value pairs that are attached to Kubernetes objects to identify attributes that are intuitive for users and that are required for specific purposes, such as inventory reporting or the enforcement of an intent.
Label classification
Kubernetes network policies represent the intent of enforcing security controls to pods using labels to match intended endpoints. Label prefixes can be used to identify label classification. The following short-list is a high-level classification of endpoints required for developing a Kubernetes network policies design:
As the weather turns to Fall, the seasons seem to parallel that of the technology cycles. Over the past couple of decades, we have seen various transformations within the high-tech area:
From mainframe to distributed computing to hybrid cloud and now edge
From databases to data warehouse to advanced analytics and machine learning
From the challenges of storing a gigabyte of data, now grown to storing zetabytes+ of data per day.
All of this has moved businesses forward, driving great innovation. When it comes to infrastructure, nothing is more impactful than a core architectural update that fundamentally changes the way enterprises drive their business. Distributed computing, distributed architectures like cloud, hybrid cloud and edge computing reinforce this premise in the era of hybrid cloud computing.
The recent announcement of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 aligns to this blossoming hybrid cloud model, where automation meets the modern hybrid cloud environment. This represents a great opportunity for our Red Hat Ansible Partner Ecosystem.
AnsibleFest Announcements - Key Partner Takeaways
Red Hat recently held AnsibleFest 2021 which included some fantastic content that is still available on demand. I would like to highlight some of the exciting AnsibleFest news and Continue reading
As the weather turns to Fall, the seasons seem to parallel that of the technology cycles. Over the past couple of decades, we have seen various transformations within the high-tech area:
From mainframe to distributed computing to hybrid cloud and now edge
From databases to data warehouse to advanced analytics and machine learning
From the challenges of storing a gigabyte of data, now grown to storing zetabytes+ of data per day.
All of this has moved businesses forward, driving great innovation. When it comes to infrastructure, nothing is more impactful than a core architectural update that fundamentally changes the way enterprises drive their business. Distributed computing, distributed architectures like cloud, hybrid cloud and edge computing reinforce this premise in the era of hybrid cloud computing.
The recent announcement of Red Hat Ansible Automation Platform 2 aligns to this blossoming hybrid cloud model, where automation meets the modern hybrid cloud environment. This represents a great opportunity for our Red Hat Ansible Partner Ecosystem.
AnsibleFest Announcements - Key Partner Takeaways
Red Hat recently held AnsibleFest 2021 which included some fantastic content that is still available on demand. I would like to highlight some of the exciting AnsibleFest news and Continue reading
A successful server hardening project requires the right techniques and tools. A critical factor that impacts ROI is how deep are you going to go with automation.
Cloudflare provides a broad range of products — ranging from security, to performance and serverless compute — which are used by millions of Internet properties worldwide. Often, these products are built by multiple teams in close collaboration and delivering them can be a complex task. So ever wondered how we do so consistently and safely at scale?
Software delivery consists of all the activities to get working software into the hands of customers. It’s usual to talk about software delivery with reference to a model, or framework. These provide the scaffolding for most modern software delivery models, although in order to minimise operational friction it’s usual for a company to tailor their approach to suit their business context and culture.
For example, a company that designs the autopilot systems for passenger aircraft will require very strict tolerances, as a failure could cost hundreds of lives. They would want a different process to a cutting edge tech startup, who may value time to market over system uptime or stability.
Before outlining the approach we use at Cloudflare it’s worth quickly running through a couple of commonly used delivery models.
The Let’s Encrypt certificate authority, but it has also turned its hand to fixing memory problems. It sponsors, via Google, so Rust in Linux in no small part to fix its built-in C memory problems. And, it also has a whole department, Rustls, a safer memory-safe code.
Memory-safe programs are written in languages that avoid the usual use after free problems. C, C++, and Assembly, for all their speed, make it all too easy to make these kinds of mistakes. Languages such as Rust, Go, and C#, however, Continue reading
Arista’s EOS (Extensible Operating System) has been nurtured over the past decade, taking the best principles of extensible, open and scalable networks. While SDN evangelists insisted that the right way to build networks started with the decoupling of hardware and software in the network, manipulated by a centralized, shared controller, many companies failed to provide the core customer requisite in a clean software architecture and implementation coupled with key technical differentiation. This has been the essence of Arista EOS.