Category Archives: Servers

News and issues relating to server side technology.

Cloud Computing Needs to Embrace the Linux Model

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While a portion of the OpenStack community is committed to the “free” software model, numerous developers have embraced the software with the intention of using it as the foundation for a proprietary platform. While that could lead to some tension between those developers with differing philosophies, Engates views that as better than the alternative. “Is it better to have a proprietary stack with no alternative?” he asked. “Or is it better to have an open-source platform here everyone has the source code at some level?”

via Cloud Computing Needs to Embrace the Linux Model: Rackspace CTO.

NYC Data Centers Struggle to Recover After Sandy

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The fight now is to keep those generators fueled while pumps clear the basement areas, allowing the standard backup generators to begin operating. It’s also unclear whether the critical elements of infrastructure (power and communications) will both be up and running in time to restore services.

Below is a list of some of the data centers and services in the area, and how they’re faring:

via NYC Data Centers Struggle to Recover After Sandy.

SME Server

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Exceptionally reliable and easy to use, SME Server can be installed and configured in less than 20 minutes – yet it’s powered by a secure and open Linux platform that’s fully upgradeable and customizable. Simply install it on any standard PC and in minutes you’ll have a robust Linux-based LAMP server capable of fully replacing those expensive Windows server licenses and providing a full range of services – including e-mail, firewall, file and print-sharing, web hosting, remote access and more.

via SME Server:About – SME Server.

Using eBox As Windows Primary Domain Controller

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eBox Platform is an open source small business server that allows you to manage all your services like firewall, DHCP, DNS, VPN, proxy, IDS, mail, file and printer sharing, VoIP, IM and much more. These functionalities are tightly integrated, automating most tasks, avoiding mistakes and saving time for system administrators.

This tutorial shows you step by step how to use eBox as Windows Primary Domain Controller. At the end of it you will be using eBox Platform 1.2 for users and shared resources management on your Windows domain.

via Using eBox As Windows Primary Domain Controller | HowtoForge – Linux Howtos and Tutorials.

Open Compute Project Driving Open-Source Hardware Development

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Facebook launched the Open Compute Project in April 2011 with the intention of sharing the designs of the social networking giant’s data center in Prineville, Oregon, as well as custom designs for servers, power supplies and UPS units. Since then, the project has been growing, adding new partners and introducing new technologies designed specifically for use in webscale data centers.

via Open Compute Project Driving Open-Source Hardware Development.

The Open Compute v2 machines were unveiled at the third Open Compute Summit in May. The new OCP v2 servers are double-stuffed machines that can fit two two-socket x86 servers, their power supplies, and fans into a 1.5U Open Computer chassis.

AMD and Intel have contributed motherboard designs used in OCP v1 and v2. The new motherboards stripped out many features found in traditional motherboards to optimize power and reduce costs.

How Google Cools Its Armada of Servers

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Here’s how the airflow works: The temperature in the data center is maintained at 80 degrees, somewhat warmer than in most data centers. That 80-degree air enters the server, inlet and passes across the components, becoming warmer as it removes the heat. Fans in the rear of the chassis guide the air into an enclosed hot aisle, which reaches 120 degrees as hot air enters from rows of racks on either side. As the hot air rises to the top of the chamber, it passes through the cooling coil and is cooled to room temperature, and then exhausted through the top of the enclosure. The flexible piping connects to the cooling coil at the top of the hot aisle and descends through an opening in the floor and runs under the raised floor.

via How Google Cools Its Armada of Servers » Data Center Knowledge.

Google’s custom servers also have a bare bones look and feel, with components exposed for easy access as they slide in and out of racks. This provides easy access for admins who need to replace components, but also avoids the cost of cosmetic trappings common to OEM servers.

Polar Mobile arms publishers with MediaEverywhere HTML5 tool

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MediaEverywhere provides publishers with an SDK based on HTML5 that allows them to create custom mobile websites in a short period of time but also re-use the work for native apps for smartphones and tablets. The SDK allows publishers to control the look of their content while easily distributing it to multiple devices in a cost-effective way.

via Polar Mobile arms publishers with MediaEverywhere HTML5 tool — Tech News and Analysis.

And he said mobile consumption is increasingly moving to the web browser. Pew reported earlier this month that 60 perecnt of tablet news users rely on their browser to get news on their tablet, compared to 23 percent that mostly use apps.

Kii Cloud Opens Doors For Mobile Developer Platform With 25 Million End Users

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MBaaS is more often a way to cater to developers. The idea here is that developers program the app and push it out to Kii Cloud without having to build their own servers and back end. At the crux of it, Kii sells simplicity and scale through the APIs and SDKs that use object database technology originally developed as an open source project by db4objects. Its ad network and distribution across Japan, Korea and China give it significant reach.

via Kii Cloud Opens Doors For Mobile Developer Platform With 25 Million End Users | TechCrunch.

MBaaS = Mobile back end as a service

From: Mobile Backend as a Service Roundup and the Future of Web APIs

To help me monitor the MBaaS market I spent some time rounding up as many of the providers as I could, and so far I’ve found 24 of them:

Entire Cities in World of Warcraft Dead, Hack Suspected

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Some particular user going by the name ‘Jadd’ has posted a video claiming to have nuked entire cities. There is no official news of Blizzard as yet about the reason behind the dead cities. We have got the videos [below].

[Update]: There is a lot of chatter on Ycombinator and WOWInsider about this story.

via Entire Cities in World of Warcraft Dead, Hack Suspected – ParityNews.com: …Because Technology Matters.

Trade group exposes 100,000 passwords for Google, Apple engineers

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“It is certainly unfortunate this information was leaked out, and who knows who got it before it got fixed,” Dragusin wrote. Elsewhere in the post he said: “If leaving an FTP directory containing 100GB worth of logs publicly open could be a simple mistake in setting access permissions, keeping both usernames and passwords in plaintext is much more troublesome.”

via Trade group exposes 100,000 passwords for Google, Apple engineers | Ars Technica.

Update: An IEEE spokeswoman emailed the following statement: “IEEE has become aware of an incident regarding inadvertent access to unencrypted log files containing user IDs and passwords. We have conducted a thorough investigation and the issue has been addressed and resolved.

Of all groups that have membership websites which store passwords, IEEE would be the last on a list I would suspect to have something like this happen.