Analysis of Erasure Code Patents for everyone

Posted on by

The most prominent prior art invalidating this patent is the RAID6 (one of the most commonly used Erasure Code) implementation of the linux kernel. In an article dated 2004 (i.e. ten years before the patent was granted to StreamScale) it is described to be optimized as follows : For additional speed improvements, it is desirable to use any integer vector instruction set that happens to be available on the machine, such as MMX or SSE-2 on x86, AltiVec on PowerPC, etc. Where SSE2 is the acronym of Streaming SIMD Extensions 2. The patent cites Anvin aticle’s but only to state the problem and does not acknowledge it also contains the solution.

via Erasure Code Patents | Analysis of Erasure Code Patents for everyone.

Sendmail Problems

Posted on by

You can use the mailq command sendmail -bp command to display a summary of the mail messages queued for future delivery. Type the following command:
# mailq

via Sendmail: Clear / Delete / Flush Mail Queue.

A service in a local server started to send email through my main server back to the originating server causing many errors in /var/log/maillog of my main server.  Each attempt added a message to its message queue that was blocked due to a problem with sendmail on the originating server.  The email being sent was sent automatically by a VOIP service I was testing on that originating server (not good).

You can cd to /var/spool/mqueue and delete all files if you want to get rid of all messages in the queue:
# cd /var/spool/mqueue/
# ls
# rm *

The above sequence cleared the queue so sendmail stopped trying to send those messages to a broken server at the destination.

Sendmail Problem on Originating Server

Sendmail wouldn’t start.  OS Fedora 19 so it’s running that new systemd for service startup.   Here are pertinent error messages in  /var/log/messages:

Nov 17 21:23:39 ana systemd[1]: Starting Sendmail Mail Transport Agent...
Nov 17 21:23:39 ana sendmail[1555]: -bd is not supported by sSMTP
Nov 17 21:23:39 ana systemd[1]: PID file /run/sendmail.pid not readable (yet?) after start.
Nov 17 21:23:39 ana systemd[1]: Failed to start Sendmail Mail Transport Agent.
Nov 17 21:23:39 ana systemd[1]: Dependency failed for Sendmail Mail Transport Client.
Nov 17 21:23:39 ana systemd[1]: Unit sendmail.service entered failed state.

I did a lot of googling to find someone in a similar situation to no avail.  I then looked into sSMTP and why that was being called  instead of good old sendmail.  After

#yum erase sSMTP

thus purging that service entirely from the system,  sendmail starts in this Fedora 19 VM and works (knock on wood).

Self-repairing software tackles malware

Posted on by

Unlike a normal virus scanner on consumer PCs that compares a catalog of known viruses to something that has infected the computer, A3 can detect new, unknown viruses or malware automatically by sensing that something is occurring in the computer’s operation that is not correct. It then can stop the virus, approximate a repair for the damaged software code, and then learn to never let that bug enter the machine again.

via Self-repairing software tackles malware — ScienceDaily.

The A3 software is open source, meaning it is free for anyone to use, but Eide believes many of the A3 technologies could be incorporated into commercial products

Download papers from the source: A3 : Flux Research Group

The A3 project applies virtualization, record-and-replay, introspection, repair, and other techniques to develop a customizable container for “advanced adaptive applications.” The A3 container provides its protected application with both innate and adaptive defenses against security threats.

Available Software

Philae comet lander sends more data before losing power

Posted on by

The little probe delivered everything expected from it, just as its failing battery dropped it into standby mode.

Philae is pressed up against a cliff. Deep shadows mean it cannot now get enough light on to its solar panels to recharge its systems.

via BBC News – Philae comet lander sends more data before losing power.

“Philae could come back later as we move closer to the sun, and we get more light onto the solar panels up against the cliff we’re at here in the shadows.”

Space probe lands on comet in historic mission

Posted on by

The three-legged lander had to be released at exactly the right time and speed because it could not be controlled on its descent. On its way down, Philae gathered data and images, which were relayed back to Earth.

Engineers designed the lander not knowing what type of terrain they would find on the comet’s surface. Rosetta has been taking pictures of the comet and collecting samples from its atmosphere as it approaches the sun, showing it is not as smooth as initially hoped, making landing more tricky.

via Space probe lands on comet in historic mission – Chicago Tribune.

From: Philae landing preview: What to expect on landing day

Philae’s legs are designed to damp out the forces of a hard landing to reduce the lander’s chance of bouncing. When Philae touches down, it will fire two harpoons to attach it firmly to the comet’s surface. A thruster on top of the lander fires at the same time as the harpoons, keeping the lander on the ground. Ice screws also deploy from the three lander feet.

From Twitter
Selection_039
UPDATE: From Rosetta mission: Philae craft may have bounced during comet landing – as it happened

Philae may have landed not once but twice – that’s the final message from Esa this evening.

According to Stephan Ulamec, Philae Lander Manager, DLR, the lander team believe that Philae may have bounced from the surface and settled again in a slightly different place.

Rosetta to deploy lander on 12 November

Posted on by

Two robust landing scenarios have been identified, one for the primary site and one for the backup. Both anticipate separation and landing on 12 November.

For the primary landing scenario, targeting Site J, Rosetta will release Philae at 08:35 GMT/09:35 CET at a distance of 22.5 km from the centre of the comet, landing about seven hours later. The one-way signal travel time between Rosetta and Earth on 12 November is 28 minutes 20 seconds, meaning that confirmation of the landing will arrive at Earth ground stations at around 16:00 GMT/17:00 CET.

via Rosetta to deploy lander on 12 November / Rosetta / Space Science / Our Activities / ESA.

Obama: Treat broadband—including mobile—as a utility

Posted on by

In a plan released today, Obama said, “The time has come for the FCC to recognize that broadband service is of the same importance [as the traditional telephone system] and must carry the same obligations as so many of the other vital services do. To do that, I believe the FCC should reclassify consumer broadband service under Title II of the Telecommunications Act—while at the same time forbearing from rate regulation and other provisions less relevant to broadband services. This is a basic acknowledgment of the services ISPs provide to American homes and businesses, and the straightforward obligations necessary to ensure the network works for everyone—not just one or two companies.”

via Obama: Treat broadband—including mobile—as a utility | Ars Technica.

Reclassification of broadband service is almost certain to bring lawsuits from the telecommunications industry.