Your next network operating system is Linux

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Thus, the scale and agility of modern data centers put data center networking at odds with the existing network models. Some problems, such as the number of virtual networks, required the development of new technologies such as VXLAN, while others have required a redesign of the network architecture deployed in the data center. But the problem of managing the network is not rooted in any failure of networking, rather in the design of the network OS.

via Your next network operating system is Linux | Networking – InfoWorld.

Essentially, we can write the equivalent of a device driver to synchronize the kernel state of these data structures with the hardware. Silicon switching ports can be made to appear like NICs to the OS. Thanks to Linux’s Netlink model, a device driver can sit by the side and listen to everything that’s going on with the kernel state — interface up/down, routing entries added/deleted either by user or routing protocols, netfilter entries added or deleted — and synchronize that state with the hardware. Furthermore, the driver can sync the state of counters from the hardware with the kernel state allowing native Linux tools such as ethtool, iptables, or /proc/net/dev to display the correct information, completely unaware that these values are coming from the hardware. Cumulus Networks has developed the first such solution, but others with a similar model may not be far away.

netfilter/iptables project homepage

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nftables is the project that aims to replace the existing {ip,ip6,arp,eb}tables framework. Basically, this project provides a new packet filtering framework, a new userspace utility and also a compatibility layer for {ip,ip6}tables. nftables is built upon the building blocks of the Netfilter infrastructure such as the existing hooks, the connection tracking system, the userspace queueing component and the logging subsystem.

via netfilter/iptables project homepage – The netfilter.org “nftables” project.

From: Nftables: a new packet filtering engine

Packet filtering and firewalling has a long history in Linux. The first filtering mechanism, called “ipfwadm,” was released in 1995 for the 1.2.1 kernel. This code was used until the 2.2.0 stable release (January, 1999), when the new “ipchains” module took over. While ipchains was useful, it only lasted until 2.4.0 (January, 2001), when it, too, was replaced by iptables/netfilter, which remains in the kernel now. If netfilter maintainer Patrick McHardy has his way, though, iptables, too, will be gone in the future, replaced by yet another mechanism called “nftables.” This article will give an overview of how nftables works, followed by a discussion of the motivations behind this change.

The Navy’s newest warship is powered by Linux

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The design of the Zumwalt solves that problem by using off-the-shelf hardware—mostly IBM blade servers running Red Hat Linux—and putting it in a ruggedized server room. Those ruggedized server rooms are called Electronic Modular Enclosures (EMEs), sixteen self-contained, mini data centers built by Raytheon.

Measuring 35 feet long, 8 feet high, and 12 feet wide, the 16 EMEs have more than 235 equipment cabinets (racks) in total. The EMEs were all configured and pre-tested before being shipped to Bath, Maine, to be installed aboard the Zumwalt.

via The Navy’s newest warship is powered by Linux | Ars Technica.

Putting all of the pieces together is a collection of middleware running on those IBM blade servers. Many of the shipboard systems use a commercial publish/subscribe middleware platform to send updates to operator consoles. But for other systems that need to be more tightly coupled (like, for example, missile launch commands), the Navy has specified the use of the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA)—the military’s favorite mission-critical middleware model. (The software for the Joint Tactical Radio System’s software-defined radios was also developed using CORBA.)

Facebook ‘stalker’ tool uses Graph Search for powerful data mining

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So Lee wrote “FBStalker,” a Python script he and Werrett debuted Thursday at the Hack in the Box security conference in Kuala Lumpur. In its current form, FBStalker runs in the Chrome browser on OS X, entering queries into Facebook’s Graph Search and pulling data. They used FBStalker in the attack against the man in Hong Kong.

Even if a person’s profile is locked down to strangers, their friends’ open profiles can be examined, giving an indication, for example, who the person may be close with. FBStalker uses Graph Search to find photos in which two people are tagged in, comments on profiles and more.

via Facebook ‘stalker’ tool uses Graph Search for powerful data mining – security, HITB, Facebook – Computerworld.

Barbarians at the Gateways

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The goal of this article is to introduce the problems on both sides of the wire. Today a big Wall Street trader is more likely to have a Ph.D from Caltech or MIT than an MBA from Harvard or Yale. The reality is that automated trading is the new marketplace, accounting for an estimated 77 percent of the volume of transactions in the U.K. market and 73 percent in the U.S. market. As a community, it’s starting to push the limits of physics. Today it is possible to buy a custom ASIC application- specific integrated circuit to parse market data and send executions in 740 nanoseconds or 0.00074 milliseconds.4 Human reaction time to a visual stimulus is around 190 million nanoseconds.

via Barbarians at the Gateways – ACM Queue.

By 2005, most shops were also modifying kernels and/or running realtime kernels. I left HFT in late 2005 and returned in 2009, only to discover that the world was approaching absurdity: by 2009 we were required to operate well below the one-millisecond barrier, and were looking at tick-to-trade requirements of 250 microseconds. Tick to trade is the time it takes to:

1. Receive a packet at the network interface.

2. Process the packet and run through the business logic of trading.

3. Send a trade packet back out on the network interface.

To do this, we used realtime kernels with bypass drivers (either InfiniBand or via Solarflare’s

When Will Google Try to Make Android More Profitable?

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Despite Android’s size, do advertisers and developers really see the OS as the most effective platform for their (monetary) needs? A new study by ad-buyer Nanigans suggests that Facebook ads on the iPhone generate 1,790 percent more return than equivalent advertising on Google Android (hat tip to VentureBeat for the link). “Retailers are realizing significantly greater return from audiences on iOS than audiences on Android,” that study reported.

via When Will Google Try to Make Android More Profitable?.

Drones and aerial mapping

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From Professional aerial mapping

Collects aerial photography of 1-10sqkm in a single flight at down to 5cm precision.
The eBee has a flight time of up to 45 minutes allowing to cover areas of up to 10sqkm in a single flight. With its 16MP camera it can shoot aerial imagery at down to 3cm/pixel resolution. The images can then be used to create maps and elevation models with a precision of 5cm.

Disclaimer:  The above does seem like a sponsored ad but this site does not advertise for anyone.  I am interested in drone technology and creative applications for them and found this interesting.   Click here for more references to drones on this site.

The Problem with Android is Choice

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Perhaps the most famous is Sheena Iyengar’s 1995 “jam jar study“, which showed a 4x increase in options decreased purchases by 85%.

Iyengar’s study is not alone. Barry Schwartz’s excellent book The Paradox of Choice covers the problem in detail. Of particular interest is his discussion of how choice affects buyer’s remorse. The more choices you consider, the more likely you’ll be to regret your decision, and the less satisfied you’ll be.

via The Problem with Android is Choice.

U.S. flips switch on massive solar power array that also stores electricity

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Abengoa Solar described the array as the world´s largest parabolic trough plant. The solar arrays use parabolic shaped mirrors mounted on moving structures that track the sun and concentrate its heat. That heat is used to heat water into steam, which is then used to power a conventional steam turbine. Being able to store the power allows the plant to continue distributing energy when the sun goes down or is blocked by poor weather.

via U.S. flips switch on massive solar power array that also stores electricity – Computerworld.

China’s State Press Calls for ‘Building a de-Americanized World’

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It’s not a new refrain: Back in March 2009, China’s central bank governor, Zhou Xiaochuan, also called for the creation of a new reserve currency, albeit in less heated language. The world needs a new “super-sovereign reserve currency” to replace the current reliance on the dollar, Zhou wrote in a paper published on the People’s Bank of China’s website (Zhou still heads the bank). The goal, he wrote, is to “create an international reserve currency that is disconnected from individual nations and is able to remain stable in the long run.”

via China’s State Press Calls for ‘Building a de-Americanized World’ – Businessweek.