Colocation Blog

Proactive Database Monitoring: Pay Now Or Really Pay Later

Tue, 29 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Do you or other DBAs in your IT group monitor your databases? If you said, yes, you may be surprised at how many don't. If you said, no, then you need to understand just how bad a practice that is.

No matter what industry your company is in, you are in the business of managing data: customer data, internal data, sales data, etc. Just as a disruption to a supply chain would incapacitate a manufacturing company, so too would a disruption of its data supply. And with today's business management tools, that means databases.

Companies use databases to store and access all of their business data. In today's business world data means money. Suffering a data loss, or even a minor interruption, can literally cripple a business which is why it is a good idea to colocate database servers to a data center near you. Keeping in close proximity of the hosting location means that server admins can reach the data center when a problem becomes apparent. Database servers not hosted inside a data center or monitored for database performance means risking data losses and interruptions.

An Ounce of Prevention...

Or a pound of cure. Those are your choices. Prevention is always cheaper than fixing something that has broken. It's true for your car, your health, and your databases. Databases that are monitored to detect potential performance issues are easier to manage than those that have suffered a downtime event.

What Is Database Monitoring?

At its most simplistic, database monitoring will monitor the server on which a database is housed to ensure that it is up and running. More complex monitoring solutions can provide a total view of server and database health for the systems monitored.

What Should I Monitor?

Today's monitoring solutions, whether OEM or third-partly like Confio Ignite, can monitor your entire database environment, including virtual machines, to give you an accurate picture of database health and performance. You can monitor performance statistics including:

Wait time statistics
Resource usage
Query information
Availability
Historical performance trends
Performance over time

Most solutions will also enable you to set alerts that will inform you when performance parameters reach critical thresholds. You can then analyze root causes and perform preventative performance tuning to ensure continued optimal performance.

Having this deep view into the performance of your database environment enables you to detect problems before they happen, and before they interfere with end user performance. When problems arise, you can create a performance tuning plan that will address the performance issues.

The alternative is, of course, to not monitor and let a performance failure be your first indication that there is a problem. From a data is money perspective, however, you will have lost a great deal by then.

Author Bio: This is a guest post by Josh Stein on behalf of ConfioSoftware. Confio Software is a company focused on helping DBAs with database performance monitoring solutions for SQL Server, Oracle, DB2 and Sybase databases and VMware servers.

Benefits of Fedora 17 for Linux Server Admins

Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

The Fedora Project is gearing up for the release of their latest version, Fedora 17, known as Beefy Miracle. This version has numerous new features and upgrades that will meet the needs of developers and webmasters alike. On May 29, Fedora will debut the new version of its free, open source operating system that is an upstream of the Red hat Enterprise Linux OS. The new upgrades to Fedora was made possible by members of the Fedora community; from developers to beta testers to dedicated sponsors, but most of the credit goes to the developers because they did all of the hard work.

Fedora 17 has a plethora of new feature that were implemented due to the suggestions made by members of the Fedora community. Some of the new features and updates will help our clients with a Linux dedicated server hosting plan secure and run their hosted server. For example, all traffic handled by a server with Fedora 17 installed will be secured through a DNSSEC extension. Through the use of two new daemons ( unbound and dnssec-triggerd) users can enable DNSSEC and perform checks to see if DNSSEC works or if something is wrong. A “hot spot sign-on” option is also included for server admins to temporarily allow spoofed DNS to be redirected and gain full access after it has been verified. Other features include the KVM Guest PMU which is a performance monitoring unit for guest which allows users to be able to run standard profiling tools requiring PMU inside of KVM guests and an update to PHP 5.4.

As far as updates to the core Linux kernel are concerned, Fedora 17 users can now mkfs, mount, and administer ext4 filesystems that are larger than 16T (2^32 blocks) with the hopes of improving this further to work on a maximum filesystem size of 100T before the actual release date. OpenStack Essex is included with the new update for easier management of cloud hosting servers. The update will also include the use of GMA graphics and various enhancements/fixes to beef up the new operating system.

So what does the new update from Fedora mean to our customers at Colocation America? We have so many developers running Fedora as their main operating system for their dedicated servers. We can also start offering Fedora 17 to new clients looking for a dedicated server hosting plan with a powerful OS powered by the Linux kernel once its release. The new upgrade to Fedora 17 will provide a huge advantage for Fedora users. Eclipse SDK Juno will run more smoothly as Java 7 and OPenJDK7 becomes the new default Java runtime. There is even an updated version of of the latest stable Ruby language, Ruby 1.9.3, that comes packaged with the OS.

Tell us what you think about the list of new features for Fedora 17 and visit the Fedora community if you want to make a recommendation before the new version hit the web.

Feel Free to Contact Shawn Ahdoot

Wi-Fi Blocking Wallpaper? Why Not Just Secure Your Wi-Fi Connections!

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

What do you get when you have an open, unsecured Wi-Fi signal? A sluggish connection and a threatening letter from NBC about the illegal downloading of its hit TV show 30 Rock. That is what happens when your neighbors discover that your Wi-Fi is not secure. They connect to it through their laptops, degrading the connectivity of your cable Internet access, and download heaps of movies or TV shows that will inevitably be traced back to your IP. What can one do to prevent this?

Securing your wireless router is boring. We want a fancier solution! Ahlstrom, a Finnish materials company, has developed just that. In conjunction with researchers from France's Grenoble Institute Polytechnique and the Centre Technique du Papier, Ahlstrom has developed a product known as Metapaper (or Metapapier in French) that blocks Wi-Fi signals. The Metapaper is affordable and can be used as wallpaper to line your house, making it a secure fortress that keeps the Wi-Fi signals broadcasting from your router from going over to your neighbors' home. Metapaper will not interfere with television, mobile phones, or even radio broadcasting signals but serves to block 2.45 - 5.5 GHz Wi-Fi signals.

For those that are worried about their Wi-Fi security and don't want to retrofit their whole house with Wi-Fi blocking wallpaper, here are some simple steps on securing your Wi-Fi router.

Connect to your wireless router through a networking cable and log on to your router’s default IP address. If you do not know the IP address then consult the manual that came with the router. If you lost the manual or can't be bothered to find it, Google the brand name of your router + the phrase "default IP address". Many routers use the same default IP address which is very easy to find online. For Example, Netgear use the IP address 192.168.0.1 while Linksys is 192.168.1.1.

You should be taken to a login page for your router. If this is your first time here then use the default password states on your manual. Again, if you do not have your manual you can just Google it (starting to see the trend here?).

Once you're in you can then setup your Service Set Identifier (SSID). Each router will have a different interface so try to find something along the lines of “Setting up your SSID” or “SSID settings”. Your SSID is the name for your wireless connection so if you type in Unsecure Wi-Fi as the name your neighbors will be able to see it when searching for a Wi-Fi connection.

Now it’s time to secure your Wi-Fi connection with a good password. Navigate over to the wireless network's security and choose setup a WPA 2.0 security protocol. This will encrypt the data that is being sent over through Wi-Fi. As oppose to WEP, your packets will be encrypted which will prevent hackers from stealing them and using it to crack your password.

The last step is to create a strong security key or, in laymen terms, password. Make sure that it is not an actual word or that it is easily guessed. This will prevent brute force hackers from using software that basically enters the whole dictionary along with millions of combinations of numbers to guess their way into your Wi-Fi networks. A string of random numbers and letters will make sure this doesn't happen. WARNING! Make sure to write down the password and store it someplace safe. Don't want to make your Wi-Fi connection so secure that even you can't get into it.

With that you should be good to go. Your Wi-Fi is protected from those internet leeching neighbors of yours and you won't have to worry about surprise lawsuits from multi-million dollars media companies. Unless of course you do download copyrighted materials online, but only scumbag criminals do that right?

Feel Free to Contact Shawn Ahdoot

Happy Mother's Day: Giving Love to our LA Mommy Bloggers

Fri, 11 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Happy Mother’s Day, Moms! On behalf of all the kids in the world, I say thank you! Thank you for supporting us. From cleaning up our poop to finding us jobs, you have been there for us through the thick and thin. Our moments together — may they have been happy or sad accompanied by laughing or crying — have made us the kids and adults we are today.

To say thank you and to celebrate a few Mommies in the world, here is a list of Los Angeles Mommy Bloggers and Blogs who are making a difference. Since their creation, these blogs have been supplying helpful tips and hints for Mom’s everywhere.

Here’s what you should do with the list:

If you are NOT a Mom, feel free to send this list to the Moms in your life and don’t forget to tell them how much you love them (technically, I think that counts as a gift and if it doesn’t work here are eCards and free blogger templates by Leelou Blogs made for a Mom like yours. Now you have a gift - don't say I never gave you anything).

If you ARE a Mom, feel free to take a look at this list (click on the images to go to the blog), let me know which blogs I am missing, and then send it to the other Moms in your life.

Again, Happy Mother’s Day and congratulations to the Moms below for serving Mommies around the world...

For General Moms: MomAngeles

MomAngeles, started by Laura Nix Gerson, is the online directory for Mom’s in Los Angeles. This blog has a Mom’s Directory that includes online resources for getting into private to personal stylist, a Kid’s Directory that includes classes and camps, a Baby Directory for new Moms, and an Event Calendar for family-friendly events. MomAngeles is the one stop shop of resources for Los Angeles moms. For providing resources for the whole family, we salute you MomAngeles.com.

For Traveling Moms: Day Tripping Mom

Day Tripping Mom, written by mother of two Aracely, is a blog written for the SoCal family who loves to go to new places. This blog specializes in providing its readers with fun places to visit that are easy on the wallet. Aracely, a self-proclaimed Disney Geek, shares her experiences on her “journey to discover every square inch of magical Southern California.”
For providing fun day trips for all families, we salute you DayTrippingMom.com.

For Nature-loving Moms: Go Explore Nature

Go Explore Nature, written, edited, photographed, promoted, and fun planned by mom of two Debi, is a blog for the nature lover. This blog gives reviews, stories, lessons, and fun activities to do outdoors with the whole family. For the avid nature seeker in Los Angeles, Go Explore Nature is a perfect place to get new and innovative ideas on where and what to do with the family.
For providing family-friendly outdoor experiences, we salute you GoExploreNature.com.

For Bicultural Moms: Spanglish Baby

Spanglish Baby, started by two Latina moms, offers the latest news on Latino and American family culture. This blog gives parents raising bilingual and bicultural children an opportunity to connect, help, and grow together. Spanglish Baby is the place to find bicultural books, videos, recipes, and to even ask an expert or talk to other Mom’s in the same position.
For providing a platform for bilingual and bicultural Mothers in Los Angeles, we salute you SpanglishBaby.com.

For Image Centric Moms: Girl's Gone Child

Girl's Gone Child, written by mother of four Rebecca Woolf, is a blog dedicated to family life, love, style and music. This blog uses amazing photos to help illustrate the wonders of raising children. Beyond the adorable photos, Girl's Gone Child provides style, music, and dining advice for Moms everywhere.
For providing the best accompanying images around, we salute you GirlsGoneChild.net.

For Green Moms: Petite Planet

Petite Planet, written by mother of two Beth Shea, is a ‘Green’ Mothers dream blog. This blog provides information on eco-friendly products, organic choices for families, tips on living green, arts and crafts projects, and even healthy choices for pets. Beth’s “baby steps toward changing the world” philosophy helps families make small changes in their daily lives.
For providing green living for the whole family, we salute you PetitePlanet.blogspot.com.

For ‘Foodie’ Moms: Taster Tots LA

Taster Tots LA, written by mother of two Jessica Ritz, is a blog that gives the run down on the happening places to eat — family-friendly places. This blog offers foodies a guide to eating out in Los Angeles with their kids. Taster Tots LA not only tells you where to go but tips concerning what makes the place suitable for kids.
For providing the places to eat for families in Los Angeles, we salute you TasterTotsLA.com.

Bonus: For (kid) Moms: Bedtimes Are for Suckers

Bedtimes Are for Suckers is a blog ‘written’ by 5-year-old Lily mother of 16 children (9 dolls, 7 stuffed animals). This is all you need to know about the blog: “From what I can tell, the whole “mommy blogging” world is one never-ending bitch-fest about how us kids get on your nerves. Did you ever think maybe hanging out with you guys is no picnic either?” and that is why the blog was started. Get your hilarious fix here.

Feel Free to Contact Samantha Walt

Comparing Dedicated Server Hosting with VPS and the Cloud

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

It is a prevalent fact that individuals devote time and effort gathering data and then discovering methods to keep it. As an example of this fact, we begin on the simplest degree of computing. Say for example you happen to be downloading and saving files like videos, new music and images. You would keep these files inside your hard disk. But, if you find that there are no longer space for new files and you simply do not wish to get rid of one of your older data files, what now? You pay for a hard drive with more space for activities, naturally. The more files you accumulate, the more room you will need.

There are different approaches in saving data files. A lot of people spend money on large-capacity hard disks or usb devices whilst some move their data files onto a disk. Firms get a hold of dedicated servers to provide their whole computer network with sufficient hardware. But there exist another option, these days some are opting for a developing trend for their server hosting needs. The cloud, as most individuals like to call it, is really a metaphor for what people think the Internet is. You've probably used Cloud hosting services without realizing, like signing on web-based electronic mail, i.e. Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, or uploading popular music, movies and images on the net. The Cloud has numerous applications in addition to providing businesses with virtual servers online.

Cloud hosting is the newest addition in the hosting industry and offers a variety of benefits but can it compare to VPS hosting or even traditional shared and dedicated server hosting? Let’s find out.

Traditional Shared and Dedicated Server Hosting

Major enterprises today choose the traditional route of colocation and dedicated server hosting. Smaller businesses have opted for shared hosting as a less expensive alternative.

In dedicated server web hosting, an entire hosting server serves only a single client. The enterprise will pay for the total package, a hosting server(s) using a dedicated amount of drive space, bandwidth, and computer resources. With dedicated web hosting, enterprises get full control over their hosting server without having to split the server resources with other businesses. The downside is that it can be very costly particularly with equipment upgrades and routine maintenance. Leasing a server is a great way to save on cost, as a business can avoid the expense of purchasing a dedicated server while still having the option of upgrading the server if their business demands it.

For businesses that own its own servers, colocation hosting is a great service that allows servers to be stored within a secure data center. Most companies that have an in-house hosting solution deals with server downtime or bandwidth overage which results in the network shutting down. Colocation provides a way for servers to have ample connectivity and bandwidth to prevent the network from shutting down. Data centers are equipped to provide servers with what it needs to perform at a maximum level.

With shared web hosting, the customer will pay for a fixed amount of storage space on one hosting server understanding that the server’s resources are distributed between other websites. It's actually a cost-efficient, low-maintenance approach to host an online site or program. The hosting provider retains controls over the hosting server and maintains it. On the other hand, considering that countless internet websites uses shared web hosting, the server resources are divided up to accommodate all the different sites. This may lead to sluggish overall performance, particularly when other web pages lock up or generate high traffic.

VPS Hosting

A virtual server that sits inside a digital data center is what most people call VPS Hosting. Virtual Private Server hosting is an expression used to make reference to a machine that is capable of creating servers online. As an alternative to owning a physical dedicated server, a Virtual dedicated server operates as a software program inside a user’s computer system but performs similar to an independent computer devoted to the consumer's networking needs. The simple truth is that a virtual private server is simply a portion of the actual hosting server that's partitioned virtually to look and perform for the user like a dedicated server.

With VPS, you are supplied with a devoted space within the hosting server in addition to a dedicated quantity of resources. This provides a user with more control and reliability, but it continues to have a single point of failure since it is nonetheless just one single hosting server in the end.

Cloud Hosting

Little by little cloud hosting is becoming an extremely popular hosting service. Cloud hosting utilizes a network of machines that forms and make up the Cloud. Since it makes use of a variety of machines, there exists hardly any down time for the website. There will always be one particular hosting server accessible from the Cloud which means that it has no single point of failure.

Cloud web hosting provides more overall flexibility to consumers. For colocation hosting, a client uses only his server but cloud lets a client who are unsure of their server needs the ability to scale month to month. Server resources are added and if the client does not require it anymore, they can simply discharge it to the Cloud. It is not necessary to purchase high-priced equipment considering that the Cloud provider makes sure that the underlying computer hardware is there. Clients just spend on the server resources used from the Cloud.

The Breakdown

Cloud hosting is indeed a viable option as it offers many benefits for different types of businesses. Its loose structure allows it to easily provide server resources for a business that do not have a solid prediction of what it needs in the future. Cloud is extremely flexible while still being able to provide users with complete control of their virtual servers. Although not as secure as VPS or traditional colocation and dedicated server hosting, cloud can provide customers with a cheap hosting plan that charges its clients for only the resources used.

Traditional hosting like colocation or dedicated server hosting is still the best hosting solution when compared with cloud and VPS hosting. Having a server that is dedicated to an enterprise means that the data stored within the server are secure and inaccessible to other users. Cloud and VPS hosting share resources with many users and that can cause a lot of security issues. Hosting a dedicated server means that an enterprise has the dedicated resources and bandwidth to deal with high amount of traffic that is prevalent in most enterprise level corporations.

With everything said, cloud hosting is a great way for small businesses to get their feet off the ground. Cloud can easily accommodate small businesses with its pay as you use subscription model and can give a business more resources when it needs it to prevent the network from going offline. It has a highly flexible structure since the servers that the clients use are virtual. Clients can login remotely and cloud providers can add more servers or take out servers to suit a client’s business needs. On the other hand, for enterprise level businesses that need a stable and secure network to work with, colocation and dedicated server hosting is their best bet. Large corporations require full control over their servers for their business to operate. Server resources are dedicated to the corporation and are always available. A business gains the type of security and connectivity that one cannot get by having other companies sharing the server's resource.

Feel Free to Contact Shawn Ahdoot

The FEDS are trying to Spy on our Skype and Social Networks

Fri, 04 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

There is nothing like starting off your day with a little privacy panic. Recent news suggests that the FBI is asking major Internet companies such as Microsoft (who owns Skype), Facebook, Google, and Yahoo, to not oppose a law that will require them to build backdoors for government surveillance. The FBI general counsel’s office has drafted a proposed law that will make social networking sites, providers of VoIP services, instant messaging and email services to alter their code to ensure that they are 'wiretap-friendly.'

This is not a new law by any means. The proposal will be an amendment to the 1994 law called Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act or the CALEA. Currently the law only applies to telecommunication providers but with this added bonus, it will include Web companies. This law proposal first came to light in February 2011 when the then-FBI general counsel Valerie Caproni warned that with technology advances the bureau will encounter an issue with "Going Dark," meaning that, surveillance capabilities may diminish. The FBI claims that the expansion of CALEA to cover VoIP such as Skype, email such as Gmail, and social networks such as Facebook, is not designed to expand wiretapping law but instead will guarantee the wiretap is successful when needed.

Of course there has been backlash from online companies and VoIP providers. Already major lobbyists are trying to ensure that their clients' trade secrets and confidential information is not shared with law enforcement. Further, certain industry groups have been lobbying against the expansion claiming that such a change will impose significant compliance costs for traditional and nontraditional communication companies not to mention an invasion of privacy. Either way, the expansion of the CALEA will bring huge backlash from the public and from their favorite Internet companies. Hopefully the FBI will not cause another SOPA Bill type response, after all, that just caused a legit blackout, talk about "Going Dark."

Feel Free to Contact Samantha Walt

The Worst Data Breaches of the Past 5 Years: Part 2

Thu, 03 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Continuing on our series of the Worst Data Breaches in the Past 5 Years, here is part 2. If you missed part 1 of our series you can view it here. Part 2 will detail the security breaches of RSA Security, Heartland Payment Systems, Epsilon, and Hotmail. To better encrypt your data and secure your dedicated servers from being breach by hacktivists, talk with a colocation provider about hosting your servers inside a secure data center.

RSA

RSA Security, a corporate security service, was hacked in March 2011 and a huge 40 million records were stolen. These records included everything from home addresses and bank account details to passwords and e-mail addresses. RSA blamed the Chinese government but insisted no customer records had been compromised. Industry experts believe that this probably isn’t true. John Linkous, vice president, chief of security and compliance officer of eIQnetworks, Inc. stated that: "It was only a matter of time before subsequent attacks on Lockheed-Martin, L3, and others occurred, all of which are believed to be partially enabled by the RSA breach."

Heartland Payment Systems

In March 2008, hackers broke into the systems of a Princeton, New Jersey payment processor and reportedly got hold of a staggering 134 million credit card details, resulting in one of the biggest electronic security breaches to date. The attack employed an “SQL injection” method by which commands were inserted into online web forms in order to coerce the system into yielding the sensitive information. Perhaps most shockingly, it was an unbelievable 2 months before Heartland realized what was happening. One Albert Gonzales, implicated in the attack, was given not just one, but two 20 year prison sentences for his role.

Epsilon

In March 2011 the customer names and addresses of over 100 stores were compromised when Epsilon, an email marketing firm who amongst their clients count Marriott, Hilton and Citigroup, was attacked by hackers. The breach has caused some $4 billion dollars of losses to date and fallout from the attack is still in the air. However, the hackers haven’t been found yet and no one is quite sure what is happening to all those leaked details. Experts believe the main use will be for identity theft but as yet, nothing has come to light.

Hotmail

In October 2009 Hotmail, the world’s biggest email provider, was hacked and over 10,000 e-mail addresses and passwords were posted online. A few days later users of Yahoo and MSN were scammed in exactly the same way. The scam was conducted using basic phishing methods, in which users were all sent authentic looking e-mails directing them to a legitimate looking site. Upon attempting to log in, users’ passwords were logged and released to the public domain. The source of the attack has never been found but it has made many users far more wary of solicitous emails.

So there's a look at some of the biggest data breaches in the last five years. If this hits home one message it should be this: guard your login details and passwords as carefully as you would your wallet. Electronic crime is big today, and there are plenty of unscrupulous hackers who'd love to get their hands on your data.

This look at "The Worst Data Breaches of the Past Five Years" was brought to you by the tech-obsessed and security conscious team at Broadband Choices, comparing price plans from a wide variety of broadband providers.

The Worst Data Breaches of the Past 5 Years: Part 1

Wed, 02 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

It has been a busy few years for the world’s computer hackers and there seems to be a new headline in the papers every week about the latest electronic security failures. One of the best way to deter hackers is to outsource in-house servers to a secure data center that monitors and encrypt sensitive business data. Between the efforts of so-called ‘hacktivists’ and outright ne’er-do-wells, it’s been a constant struggle to keep data under wraps for many huge companies at the electronic forefront. In that spirit, here is a rundown of seven the worst data breaches in the last five years:

Sony's PlayStation Network

On April 20 2011 the online PlayStation Network, the service responsible for all of the PS3’s online activity, went down. In the beginning, although there was an outcry as angry users couldn’t get online, no-one really knew why it was down. That was until news reports started appearing and before long it was made public that the service had indeed been hacked and an unbelievable 77 million PlayStation Network accounts had been compromised. The culprits gained access to 12 million credit card details, names, addresses, login and password details. Perhaps most shocking about this story is that the network remained down for more than a month while the company tried to rectify the situation and are said to have lost millions of dollars in the process. While it has been claimed that hacktivist group Anonymous had a hand in the attack, possibly in response to Sony’s persecution of a gamer who modified their consoles, no hackers have yet been brought to justice.

Monster.com

In August 2007 hackers managed to gain access to the personal details of over 1.3 million profiles on one of the world’s biggest job sites. Reports say that the hackers carried out the operation via a basic phishing scam, by sending bogus e-mails to users asking them to click on compromised links. When the links were clicked, the user’s account login details were captured and the hackers were in, free to do what they liked with the info contained in the account. The attack appears to have been financially motivated: shortly after the attack, victims were e-mailed with threats of important file deletion from their computers if they didn’t pay up.

Gawker media

In December 2010, 1.3 million passwords and e-mail addresses were taken from various blogs and forums on the Gawker network, including Lifehacker and Jezebel, and the hackers hijacked users’ accounts for the purposes of sending out huge amounts of spam. A group of hackers calling themselves ‘Gnosis’, accepted responsibility and claimed they had carried out the attack because of an apparent prior dispute between Gawker and internet message board 4chan, which has been the hub for a great deal of hacker activity over recent years. Thankfully, no payment information was leaked and all that was required to rectify the situation was a simple password change for all users.

This look at "The Worst Data Breaches of the Past Five Years" was brought to you by the tech-obsessed and security conscious team at Broadband Choices, comparing price plans from a wide variety of broadband providers. Part 2 of this series take a look at data breaches from RSA Security, Heartland Payment Systems, Epsilon, and Hotmail.

Google Kills Work Place Productivity with Easter Eggs

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Happy Friday and to celebrate here is a little present for you. Pull up Google or Google Search and type in zerg rush (or if you are too lazy, click Zerg Rush Me Now). If you are using a desktop (sorry it is not Mobile capable) you should see these gold-ish yellow circles attacking your screen. Quickly shoot them all by clicking on them! Make sure to scroll down the page to hit more. When you see the red circles shoot them too. Do not stop shooting them! As you can see, the search results will start to disappear, the more you shoot the less they disappear. The faster you shoot, the more you save. Save Google! Unfortunately, you probably failed. Not if but when you fail, you will see a red 'G' and yellow 'G' made out of the circles. Needless to say, refresh and start over again. The best part is that it is work friendly and hosted on Google making it impossible for your job to stop you from doing it.

If you are not working or have some free time on your hands, here are a couple more 'Easter Eggs,' as they are called, for you to enjoy. Go to TheBardsTale.com and put your mouse over the women to the right. Repeat and repeat and repeat until something happens. Surprise! Another one comes from SkyBet.com. Click on the little black dude on the right hand side that has a warning sign. As you put your mouse over it, it should say 'Boss? Look busy!' Click on that and bam, look busy! Finally, go to Konamicodesites.com. When you get there put in this code using your arrow buttons: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, and then enter 'b' and then 'a.' Have fun exploring! This works on your iPhone also. Go to Konamicodesites.com then swipe your fingers in this order: bottom up, bottom up, up down, up down, right to left, left to right, right to left, left to right then when prompted put in 'b' and 'a.' Do this semi fast and you will see what happens. Do all of this and see Friday fly by... don't say I didn't warn you!

Feel Free to Contact Samantha Walt

Google Drive: A Lazy Boy's Dream

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Google has just released their latest and greatest addition to an already growing array of programs, Google Drive. Unlike the Google Glasses, Google Drive is real and ready to be used by anyone, anywhere. Google Drive is an online data storage program that allows you to edit, create, discuss, and promote from anywhere, to anyone, for free (well up to 5GB). The program is as simple as drag and drop. Access the files wherever you are and share with whomever you need. As their tag in the video states, "keep everything, share anything."

For the Google Fanatic, this is just one more epic add-on by Google. Drive is meant to work seamlessly with all other Google products. As Drive continues to be developed, integration with other Google products will be expected. Google is working hard on a Drive app for your iOS devices. However, if you have an Android your phone already allows you to use Drive (go to any picture, click share, and see the option for Drive). As far as the popular Google Docs is considered, Google Drive is the next stage up. Be prepared, the next project and presentation you work on will use Google Drive. And hey, Google Drive even considers the blind, "...regardless of platform, blind users can access Drive with a screen reader." Overall, Google Drive makes it easy to be lazy and it is just another example of why Google reigns supreme.

Feel Free to Contact Samantha Walt

Top Tips on Choosing a Data Center

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Data centers frequently house the most critical information for your business. If the data center is not protected adequately, then private and essential information about company operations, clients, employees and projects may become public knowledge -- a breach that most companies in today's challenging economy simply cannot afford.

To protect yourself and your Windows or Linux dedicated server from a security breach, you must know what to look for in a data center hosting environment. Evaluate these critical areas prior to choosing a data center to host your business servers:

Location, location, location. Just like in real estate, having the right location for a data center can make all the difference. Make sure to carefully evaluate whether the physical location will be near a major flight path, a flood zone or an earthquake fault line. An earthquake is one of the most damaging natural disasters for any Los Angeles data center but the damage could be mitigated through careful planning and preparations. Having a data center in areas like these may necessitate expensive overtime for staff members who have to stay to monitor technology during or after potential threats, which may drive up costs.

Keeping it hidden. Remember the old adage, "What you don't know won't hurt you?" This is true of data centers that are well hidden from view. Landscaping is one of the primary ways to protect a data center from the prying eyes of the surrounding community or those with more damaging intentions. Using bushes, trees, and landscaping mounds can screen off security fences and the building itself. Large boulders and trees can also keep cars from approaching or damaging the building.

Layers are always better. Keeping the most secure part of the data center building in the innermost areas can help provide additional security. Making sure that there are inner perimeter doors as well as well-designated common and visitor areas can prevent visitors from simply wandering into the most sensitive areas. Multiple layers of entry add security that can protect what is most valuable.

Carefully placed restrooms. If restrooms are near the inner area of the data center, a simple hole in the wall could cause a breach of sensitive data. Restrooms should be located near outside doors of the data center for additional protection where visitors can be carefully monitored by security personnel.

Secure other systems. The loss of HVAC, power, and other utilities can all provide ways to interrupt a data center. Containing these systems within solid walls is the most secure way to make sure that power and cooling are maintained to sensitive systems. Only those with the appropriate security clearance should be allowed in power areas.

Maintaining the security of a data center can be challenging, to say the least. Making sure that the location is well placed, using natural barriers to increase security and security power systems are just a few ways that data centers can be kept up and running smoothly. This can result in cost savings for the data center which can then be passed on to the end user.

Author Bio: These tips are provided by Joe Schembri who works with Villanova University's CISSP certification training programs. Villanova offers these programs 100% online which allows working professionals to learn without having to miss time from work.

cPanel Set to End Support for PHP 4

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Webmasters running a cPanel dedicated server might have to update their servers next month as cPanel will end support for PHP 4. Beginning May 2012, EasyApache and cPanel will announce that they will no longer support PHP 4 for server management. PHP 4 is an outdated version of the PHP server-side programing language. PHP helps websites create login pages, forums, surveys, picture galleries, and other dynamic features. It improves the website functionality and makes a website nicer for those that want something else besides a plain static HTML page. The development and support of PHP 4 has been stopped for several years now as PHP 5 has improved the functionality and security of the language. Many of the common vulnerabilities and exposures, also known as CVE, reported to PHP developers has been address in the newer versions of PHP (PHP 5.3.10) but left unchecked for PHP 4 which makes discontinuing support for the language for cPanel a smart choice.

Those that need more time to update their servers from PHP 4 to PHP 5 will be able to use PHP 4 for EasyApache 3.12 through the Custom Option Module. This will give webmasters more time to upgrade their servers to the new version of PHP. There are very few websites that are still using PHP 4 for their server side scripts. Many webmaster choose to upgrade to PHP 5 when it was released. It is important for every webmaster to update their PHP/cPanel/WHM to the latest version to prevent security breaches. For example, PHP 5.2.x has some major vulnerabilities that was fixed when PHP 5.3.x came out. Webmasters that are weary of updating their servers for fear of breaking their scripts will experience an even bigger problem down the road when an attack happens. It is best to protect your cPanel dedicated servers before it becomes the target of a DOS attack.

If you're running a cPanal dedicated server it is time to update to the new version of PHP. For those that are thinking of switching to cPanel or WHM for server management we have a step by step guide on how to setup a cPanel dedicated server. You can also check out our list of useful cPanel applications and add-ons for your website. cPanel is a great server management software to install on a dedicated servers. The cPanel development team provide 24/7 support for those that are having trouble setting up their servers and need some help from a professional. The folks from cPanel will also be at the Internet World Expo in London this week to showcase some of their new stuff. Should be an interesting booth to checkout.

Feel free to contact Shawn Ahdoot

7 Green Practices of Google's Data Center

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

The biggest cities of the world struggle to keep it green, with governments frequently having to step in to introduce new policies and big companies using eco-friendly practices. Google's dedication to the cause of environmentally friendly solutions at their data centers and offices is exemplary in this respect.

Looking into 7 green practices of Google may help other business players to make more major world cities use safer and more sustainable methods, especially as we move forward into this modern world of cloud computing and architecture.

1. Green Data Centers

Google data centers bring energy use to a minimum by installing intelligent temperature controls, using free cooling techniques, measuring PUE (Power Usage Effectiveness), managing airflow and redistributing power rationally. Google also recycles 100% of the electronic equipment that leaves its premises. Recently the company made news with their new solution of cooling data centers with used toilet water.

2. Green Commuting

Googlers are passionate about their bike-to-work program, their biodiesel shuttles (the largest eco-friendly electric corporate vehicles) and their car-sharing program of plug-in vehicles. Many Googlers all over the world prefer to walk, cycle, skateboard or even scooter to work. All these efforts help save 10,000 metric tons of CO2 every year, which shows that real people can make a difference when they are dedicated to change daily.

3.    Green Eating

In all cities where Google operates, the company provides free, sustainably-produced, organic, locally grown (within 200 miles of their offices) food for their employees. Google also supports sustainable seafood and tries to reduce waste by providing the right amount of food to their cafes, eliminating the use of disposable plates and silverware, recycling and composting, as well as donating unused food.

4.    Green Materials

All Google offices and data centers are built from toxin-free materials. Full transparency from the vendors is requested before materials are chosen and vendors are asked to share product information through the Pharos Project in order to eliminate toxins from their buildings. Google works closely with research institutions and government agencies to bring awareness about the forbidden substances in building materials.

5.    Green Offices

Google offices are created with design ideas and strategies to cut water and energy use. Cooling or heating offices is done with minimum energy used by turning to renewable resources and recycled materials. Google measures performance at the office frequently to ensure the resources at hand are used in the most efficient way possible.

6. Green Energy

Google constantly pilots new technologies on their premises. The installation of the largest corporate solar panel in Mountain View is one example. Google also purchases renewable energy (wind and solar) at competitive prices near their data centres, helping wind farmers expand their green efforts.

7. Green Investments

Google invests in an environmentally friendly, sustainable future with projects such as a free energy monitoring tools, solar power plants in California, Atlantic Wind Connection (offshore wind power), and the Atla Wind Energy Center at Mojave. Earlier this month Google also invested in thermal energy storage to help cool a new data center in Taiwan.

Thermal energy storage means that air-conditioning systems can be run overnight at a time when electricity rates are lower to chill insulated tanks storing ice or coolant. These tanks then cool the data center as temperatures in rise during the working day.

Google is an excellent example of environmental conscientiousness and sound business sense going hand in hand. Many cities of the world could benefit from the Google Green practices every day especially a Los Angeles data center.

Top 5 Green Dedicated Servers

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

April 22, 2012 marked the 32nd annual Earth Day. This year the Earth Day Network created "A Billion Acts of Green" and support their campaign, Colocation America wanted to show that the Data Center Industry is acting green, one server at a time. To support Earth Day and A Billion Acts of Green, I asked Colocation America's server wiz, Ivan, for his top green servers, and this is what he had to say, "I can attest to the capabilities and features of some of these servers (Dell PowerEdge 2950 and HP ProLiant) ...these are good servers that do a lot of the 'muscle work' without chewing up your power." Here is a list of green dedicated servers you need to know:

HP: BladeSystem and ProLiant

HP BladeSystem solutions are designed to pack ever greater computing power and storage in less space while also reducing the energy requirements to power and cool those systems. The Blade is equipped with HP Thermal Logic technologies to control power consumption and thermal output. Plus, every HP product is designed for the environment with features like Active Cool fans in server blade enclosures. The HP ProLiant servers offer the total solution with the flexibility to meet your business needs. It is also equipped with Active Cool fans and HP Thermal Logic technologies.

Along with green servers, HP offers HP Modular Cooling System, a system based on the PARSEC architecture, and liquid cooling innovations. Dynamic Smart Cooling, the first solution of its kind can reduce data center energy costs by as much as 30%. When added to existing or to new data center facilities, DSC intelligently automates HVAC cooling systems and optimizes thermal data center impact in real-time. Overall, HP offers green solutions Thermal assessment services: HP Services turns energy optimization strategies based on intuition into a disciplined, objective and methodical process that leverages innovations such as real-time thermodynamic modelling to help customers make the most of existing data centre facilities.

PSSC Labs: POWERSERVE DUO T2000

The POWERSERVER DUO T2000 is claimed to be the eco-friendliest server available. With over 55% reusable metal, the POWERSERVE T2000 significantly reduces the environmental impact and saves you money. The POWERSERVE T2000 offers 90%+ efficient power supply. With PSSC Labs powers saving scripts you can limit power and HVAC usage resulting in reduce total cost of system. Tests have shown PSSC Labs servers consume 30% less power than comparable systems.

Dell: PowerEdge Energy Smart model 1950 and 2950

The PowerEdge Energy Smart model 1950 and 2950 servers' claim to deliver a 25 percent improvement in performance per watt compared to the standard 1950 and 2950. The Energy Smart server features include a processor that draws only 40 watts of power versus the 65 watts or 80 watts drawn in standard servers. Energy Smart servers will also offer only 2.5-inch disk drives, smaller than the typical 3.5-inch drives.

Open Compute Project: Intel Motherboard and AMD Motherboard

The v1.0 AMD motherboard is a dual AMD Opteron 6100 Series socket motherboard with 24 DIMM slots. The new v2.0 design doubles the compute density, supporting two AMD G34 Magny Cours or Interlagos CPUs per board (PCB mechanical and motherboard mechanical coming soon).

The v1.0 Intel motherboard is a dual Intel Xeon 5500 or Intel Xeon 5600 socket motherboard with 18 DIMM slots. It has the new v2.0 specification for Intel, with double the compute density, using two next generation Intel Xeon processors per board. Both are power-optimized, barebones motherboards designed to provide the lowest capital and operating costs. Many features found in traditional motherboards have been removed from the design but you may add on some of the energy efficient components Open Compute has created.

IBM: zEnterprise 196 (z196)

IBM zEnterprise 196 (z196) is extremely energy efficient; it can save up to 75 percent on energy costs. The z/VM virtualization capabilities can support up to 50 distributed servers on a single core. The z196 also has a water cooled option that can reduce energy use by up to 12% and offers energy savings without compromising performance. Plus there is an option for high-voltage dc, and top exit I/O cabling. The zEnterprise Unified Resource Manager provides monitoring and trend reporting of energy efficiency for the entire heterogeneous infrastructure. New static power savings mode allows for turning off engines that are not being used. For Linux dedicated servers workloads on z196, up to 60% more performance at 35% lower price.

Feel Free to Contact Albert Ahdoot

UPDATE: Kony 2012: Will it Cover the Night? Nope

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

On March 5, 2012 a historic video was released. The world, in masses, heard about Kony 2012 and children soldiers for the first time. For most, it was also the first time hearing about the terrible and shocking injustices taking place in Uganda and about the organization Invisible Children.

The news spread wide and quick. Within the first few days on the web, the story about the atrocities committed by Kony, the rebel leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), went viral. To be more specific: after the first 45 days of its release, the video had 104,506,332 views. The video was so persuasive that 4 million peopled pledged, "to help make Joseph Kony famous by watching and sharing KONY 2012." The pledged "will use [their] voice to influence cultural and policy makers to raise the profile of the conflict. [They] will Stop at Nothing." If you somehow missed out on the this historic viral video because perhaps your computer had a virus or you were locked in a bubble for a couple weeks, here is what it is all about:

Invisible Children strives to use "film, creativity, and social action to end the use of child soldiers in Joseph Kony's Rebel War." Their recent videos seem to do just that, urge others to take a stand and demand the capture of Kony. Joseph Kony, the rebel leader of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), is known for his brutal tactics and the abduction of nearly 30,000 children in northern Uganda; a problem that became visible in large part due to the founders of Invisible Children and their friend Jacob.

So far, the campaign, cleverly named Kony 2012 for the symbolic likeness to presidential campaigns, has nearly 800,000 likes on Facebook plus 400,000 followers on Invisible Children's Twitter. With nearly 50,000 people on the site at any one time (that's a lot of traffic) Kony 2012 has gone viral. But the video does want viewers to stop there. The Invisible Children have attempted to take their online marketing strategy to 'the streets.' On April 20, 2012 Invisible Children wants to, "earn the right to be heard by our global leaders by serving our local communities. And above all, we will prove that our liberty is bound together," and Cover the Night with Kony 2012. Kony 2012 posters, yard signs, billboards, building drops, skywriting, crop circles, laser graffiti, blimps, covered sports field, magazine inserts, and murals will hopefully 'Cover the Night' in every major city. Led by Invisible Children, 'pledgers' have been encouraged to reach out to UN and African Union leaders, key world leaders, and 'head of states' of countries to arrest Kony and join in the fight to stop children soldiers.

Unfortunately, the impact remains to be seen. In the past week, Los Angeles has yet to be 'covered' by Kony 2012. Looking down on one of the major streets in Los Angeles and not one Kony 2012 sign or poster is visible. This begs the question, has Invisible Children done enough to make it in the real' world? Pledging something online is very different then engaging in the streets. As one person stated, 'what good is a pot of gold to the fat leprechaun if he can't get the dough to the other side of the rainbow?' In other words, what good is it to have 100 million video views, 800 thousand Facebook likes, and 400 thousand Twitter likes if does not translate into change in the real world? The question may remain unanswered for a while. Either way, here is what you should do now: If you haven't watched the video, watch it. If you haven't pledged, pledge. If you pledged, make it count and Cover the Night. At the end of the day, it is better to have helped then do nothing at all and, the fact still remains, without these viral videos 30,000 children would still be unknown.

Feel Free to Contact Samantha Walt

*Update: As of today, Kony 2012 in Los Angeles has not taken off. I have yet to see one poster or sign for Kony 2012 in Los Angeles area. If anyone knows what happened for Kony 2012 in New York or Kony 2012 in Washington D.C. please let me know. The question still remain: is Kony 2012 in US ever going to happen?