Thursday, March 4, 2021

Server management systems

Enterprises receive the services and functions they need (databases, e-mail, website hosting, work applications, etc.) for their corporate IT systems based on servers , or rather, the so-called. "Server farms" (server farm). They are usually located in data centers, private (located in the organization itself) or public (cloud).

In any case, the organization's servers require constant and effective management so that their resources are used in the most optimal way.

What is Server Management?

Server management is the process of monitoring and maintaining servers in order to achieve their best performance. Server management also includes management of storage systems , software , security, and data redundancy .

The main goals of server management: Aruba Certified Design Expert

Minimization (and, if possible - complete elimination) of slowdowns and downtime;

Creation of an environment for the safe operation of servers;

Creating the conditions for evolution to meet the needs of the organization as it grows.

Various server management features

Virtual server

Virtualization is the main trend in information technology. A traditional server runs on a separate physical machine, while a virtual server allows multiple servers to run as multiple virtual machines on a single physical server. This makes it possible to improve the efficiency of the use of physical equipment. For example, if in the case of single physical servers in a data center, the average processor load is 4%, then in the case of virtual machines (servers), the physical processor load can be up to 80-90% or more.

At the same time, of course, the tasks of managing a virtual infrastructure become much more complicated. However, the general principles are the same for both physical and virtual servers.

The main elements of server management systems

Server management includes the following elements:

Equipment management . Monitoring the state of hardware (processor, memory, etc.) to ensure the best possible server performance.

Software management . Provides for regular updates of software, firmware and operating systems.

Security management . Security measures such as antivirus software, firewalls, access control and data encryption.

Reservation management . Regular data backup and data recovery plan in case of disasters.

Equipment management

Ensuring good hardware performance is the foundation of effective server management. It is important to continuously monitor at least five pieces of equipment:

Central Processing Unit (CPU), processor . The processor is the “brain” of the server, performing the computations that enable applications to run. The processor load must be constantly monitored so that the programs work correctly and without delays. If the processor load approaches 100%, then there is a big risk that when a new process is turned on, the processor will stop working normally, and the server, as IT engineers say, “freezes”. If the average processor load approaches a critical limit, then it is necessary either to replace the processor chip with a more powerful one, or to stop the operation of unnecessary programs that take up system resources. More fine tuning may involve adjusting other elements of the system to reduce the load on the processor.

Random access memory (RAM), memory . RAM is the server's working memory. This memory, designed for temporary storage of program data and calculation results, works much faster than permanent memory - hard drives (HDD), solid state drives (SSD), etc. The more RAM a server has, the better its performance. The use of RAM must be constantly monitored, and if the time average value of the occupied memory approaches its maximum size, then it is necessary to take measures to expand the memory.

Hard disk drive (HDD) . This is a persistent memory, a server data storage. This is where programs and data are stored that remain on the hard drive even when the power is turned off, unlike RAM, where information is stored only when the power is turned on. If the hard disk is "crammed" with data "to the eyeballs", this also greatly reduces the performance of the server as a whole. Therefore, you need to constantly monitor the availability of free space on your hard disk, add new disks, delete unnecessary data. Or you should consider connecting to cloud storage, where all of the above will be done automatically.

Processor temperature . Servers usually generate a lot of heat during operation. Most servers come with wired thermometers to keep track of whether the processor temperature is within specified limits. If the server gets very hot, you need to find the reasons for the rise in temperature. Server operation in this mode can lead to application failures and complete processor failure. Cooling fans are one of the essential components of a physical server. If the fans (which are also called "coolers") fail, there is a high risk of overheating of the physical server processor and its failure.

Environment . In addition to monitoring the temperature inside the server, you must constantly monitor the ambient temperature. The server room must be kept at an appropriate temperature and humidity and airflow must be controlled (“hot and cold aisles”). This not only helps prevent server breakdowns, but also allows you to achieve optimal performance.

When choosing a physical server, it is important to proceed from the requirements for its parameters and purchase a server that slightly exceeds these requirements. However, choosing a server configuration that is too powerful "with a margin" can lead to an unreasonably high price, as well as unnecessary waste of energy.

Wednesday, March 3, 2021

Fiber Optic Cable Buying Guide

What is a fiber optic cable and how does it work?

Fiber optic cables send digital data at the speed of light ... because they work by transmitting light through flexible, optically pure glass or plastic fibers .

Each fiber optic thread is about the width of a human hair. The fibers are arranged in bundles called optical cables - light is transmitted through this core. An outer optical material called plating surrounds the core and reflects light into the core.

Because fiber cables can transmit over long distances, they are ideal for networking, telecommunications, and storage applications in cable cabinets, distribution frames, gateways, central offices, and data centers.


What are the different types of fiber optic cables?

There are two basic types of optical cable used for data and communications, singlemode and multimode. The differences in principle are the size of the core and the distance signals can be transported. The fiber cable is measured by the core and the diameter of its plating in micrometers (µm).

The multimode fiber has a relatively wide core size of either 62.5 μm or 50 μm. It normally transmits infrared light from light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Generally, multimode cable is used for short or medium distance communication, such as inside a building or on a small campus. Typical multimode fiber ties are suitable for distances under 2000 meters.

Multimode fibers are identified by the name OM (optical module) given in the ISO / IEC 11801 standard: Dark Fiber

OM1

Fiber with launch bandwidth (OFL), 200/500 MHz-km, with a bandwidth at 850 / 1300nm (usually 62.5 / 125 µm fiber)

OM2

Fiber with OFL bandwidth of 500/500 MHz-km at 850 / 1300nm (usually 50/125 µm fiber)

OM3

50 um laser optimized fiber with an efficient bandwidth of 2000 MHz-km (EMB, also known as laser bandwidth), designed for 10 Gbps transmission

OM4

50 um laser optimized fiber with an EMB bandwidth of 4700 MHz-km designed for 10 Gbps, 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps transmission

OM5

50 µm fiber optimized with OM5 laser with 4700 MHz-km EMB designed for 10 Gbps, 40 Gbps and 100 Gbps. Designed to support shortwave division multiplexing (SWDM) technology.

Singlemode fiber has a narrower core size of 8.3 µm. It transmits infrared light from lasers and provides twice the bandwidth rate of the multimode cable and can provide a distance of 50 times the multimode. On the flip side, it costs more than the multimode cable. The singlemode duplex cable is commonly used in long-term network connections.


How far can a fiber optic cable carry a signal?

The distance limit depends on the cable style, the wavelength and the network itself. The usual ranges are about 984 ft for the 10 Gbps multimode cable and up to almost 25 miles for the singlemode cable. If a longer duration is required, optical amplifiers or repeaters are used to ensure signal integrity over the entire distance.

the fiber optic cable is a network cable that contains strands of fiberglass inside an insulated housing. They are designed for high performance data networks and telecommunications.

Compared to wired cables, fiber optic cables provide higher bandwidth and can transmit data over longer distances. Fiber optic cables support much of the world's Internet, cable television, and telephone systems.

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager

BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager  (LTM) turns your network into a dynamic infrastructure for delivering applications. It acts as a complete intermediary between users and the application server, creating an abstraction layer for protecting, optimizing, and load balancing application traffic. This gives you the flexibility and control you need to easily add applications and servers, eliminate downtime, improve application performance, and meet your security needs.

BIG-IP LTM is a complete proxy between users and application servers that provides security, optimization and load balancing of application traffic.

Main advantages: F5 certification

1. Ease of application deployment and guaranteed availability

2. Ability to manage application delivery

3. Acceleration and optimization of applications: intelligent distribution, compression, flexible QoS L7 management, TCP Express, iSession.

4. Securing applications, networks and data: Hiding resources and service errors, selective encryption, encryption of cookies, analysis of protocol anomalies, firewall capabilities and other functions

5. Reducing server load: content conversion, OneConnect, fast caching, SSL acceleration and offloading, TCP connection queuing and other technologies

6. Easy to configure and manage: iApp configuration templates, correlated application statistics, hardware clustering and configuration synchronization, administrative domains.

Complex load balancing:

BIG-IP LTM includes static and dynamic load balancing tools such as Dynamic Ratio, Least Connections and Observed Load Balancing, while dynamically tracking server performance in a group, so that the best resources are always chosen to achieve the highest performance and scalability.

Application state control:

BIG-IP LTM has sophisticated controls that monitor the availability of devices, applications and content. These tools include specialized monitors for various applications (including various application servers, SQL, SIP, LDAP, RADIUS, Diameter, XML / SOAP, RTSP, SASP, SMB, and many more), as well as custom monitors that inspect content and simulate calls. applications. 

High availability and transaction security:

Device Service Clustering provides flexible high availability scaling and synchronization of active and live application traffic configurations between active and standby devices. In this case, the active / standby configuration is not 1: 1, but N: 1, that is, the application load is distributed to as many active devices as they are required depending on the constraints imposed by the resources and the availability of resources, that is, true horizontal scaling is provided. BIG-IP LTM provides system failover in less than a second and full link mirroring. This achieves extremely high availability of the solution in the event of any system, server or application failure.

Available as:

BIG-IP hardware platform

VIPRION blade chassis

* BIG-IP Virtual Edition can run on VMware ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer, Linux KVM hypervisors, and Amazon Web Services

The block system for managing the functionality of F5 Networks solutions allows you to combine the proposed solutions in an extensive framework. So the manager of local traffic BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager is available as a separate solution, as part of specialized  bundles , or in any combination with the  modules offered by the company

Monday, March 1, 2021

Linux system administrator

Our values: linux jobs

Take care of our customers.

Always speak openly and honestly.

Respect each other and thrive together.

Create and sell a product to be proud of.

Make the most of the benefits of individual differences and everyone's contribution.


Requirements:

Work experience in a similar field of at least 7 years.

Clear thinking and the ability to reasonably defend your point of view.

Understanding of the structure of networks and the TCP / IP network protocol stack and the ability to apply this knowledge in practice.

Experience in configuring linux kernel for large network loads.

Confident knowledge of administering Linux servers / services: nginx, haproxy, openvpn, dns, iptables, raid, fs, etc.

Experience with virtualization systems (KVM), monitoring (Zabbix), configuration management (Ansible).

Using scripting languages ​​to automate tasks (bash, python).

Ability to work in a team, self-learning.

Knowledge of English at the documentation reading level or higher.

Desire to develop and learn new technologies.


Will be a plus:

Experience in using Logstash, ElasticSearch, Kibana.

Experience in administration and monitoring of PostgreSQL and ElasticSearch DBMS, RabbitMQ message broker.

Experience in using a containerization and orchestration system (Docker, Kubernetes).

Skills of working with the git version control system.

Skill in writing simple SQL queries.

Experience in working with a development team, understanding the software development process, knowledge of tools related to software development (git, gitlab, youtrack).

Introduction to ceph, aws, terraform


Tasks:

Ensuring the health of a small fleet of physical and virtual servers.

Providing fault tolerance for opensource applications.

Prompt response in case of equipment failure and / or loss of part of the system's functionality.

Saturday, February 27, 2021

Properties of the wireless transmission medium - CCNA Routing and Switching

Wireless transmission media allow transmission of binary data by encoding them into electromagnetic signals of the microwave and radio range.

Wireless provides the greatest mobility of all transmission media, so the number of devices that support wireless connectivity is growing every day. As bandwidth increases, wireless connectivity is gaining popularity in corporate networks cisco wireless certified.

The wireless environment has the following features to consider.

Coverage area . Wireless data transmission technologies work well in open spaces. However, some building materials used in the construction of buildings and structures, as well as local conditions, can limit the coverage area.

Interference . Wireless connections are susceptible to interference and may be degraded by common devices such as cordless phones, certain types of fluorescent lights, microwave ovens, and other wireless communications.

Security . You do not need to connect to physical cables to access the wireless environment. Therefore, this environment can be accessed by unauthorized users and devices. Hence, security is a major aspect of wireless administration.

General transmission medium . WLANs operate in half duplex mode, which means that only one device can transmit or receive at a time. The transmission medium is common to all wireless users. The more users simultaneously connect to a WLAN, the less bandwidth each of them has. Half duplex will be discussed later in this chapter.

While the popularity of wireless networking of desktops to the network is growing, copper and fiber remain the most popular physical media.

Thursday, February 25, 2021

Fiber Optic Transmitters

The most important component of a fiber optic transmitter is the light source (usually a semiconductor laser or LED). Both serve the same purpose - the generation of a microscopic light beam that can be introduced into the fiber with high efficiency and modulated (changed in intensity) at a high frequency. Lasers provide higher beam intensities than LEDs and allow higher modulation frequencies; therefore they are often used for long-haul broadband lines such as telecommunications or cable TV. On the other hand, LEDs are cheaper and more durable devices, moreover, they are quite suitable for most systems of short to medium length, and therefore they are widely used in closed TV systems.

In addition to its functional purpose (i.e. what signal it should transmit), a fiber-optic transmitter is characterized by two more important parameters that determine its properties. One is its output power (intensity) of the optical emission, and the other is the wavelength (or color) of the emitted light. Usually these are 850, 1310 or 1550 nm, values ​​selected from the condition of coincidence with the so-called. "Transparency windows" in the transmission characteristic of an optical fiber material.


Fiber optic installation

An optical fiber consists of a high refractive index center (core) surrounded by a low refractive index material cladding, as shown in Fig. 1.2. a fiber is characterized by the diameters of these regions - for example, 50/125 means a fiber with a core diameter of 50 µm and an outer cladding diameter of 125 µm.

Light propagates along the fiber core due to successive total internal reflections at the core-clad interface; its behavior is in many ways similar to that of being caught in a pipe, the walls of which are covered with a mirror layer. However, unlike a conventional mirror, in which reflection is rather inefficient, total internal reflection is essentially close to ideal - this is the fundamental difference between them, which allows light to propagate along the fiber over long distances with minimal loss.

A fiber made in this way (Figure 1.3) is called a stepped refractive index and multimode fiber because there are many possible paths, or modes, for the light to propagate. This set of modes results in dispersion (broadening) of the pulse because each mode travels a different path in the fiber, and therefore different modes have different transmission delays from one end of the fiber to the other. The result of this phenomenon is a limitation of the maximum frequency that can be effectively transmitted for a given fiber length - an increase in either the frequency or the fiber length beyond the limit values ​​essentially leads to the coalescence of successive pulses, making it impossible to distinguish them. For a typical multimode fibers, this limit is approximately 15 MHz  ·  km, which means that the video signal with a bandwidth of, e.g., 5 MHz may be transmitted a maximum distance of 3 km (5 x 3 km MHz = 15 MHz  ·   km). Attempting to transmit the signal over a greater distance will result in progressive loss of high frequencies.

For many applications, this figure is unacceptably high, and a search was made for a fiber design with a wider bandwidth. One way is to reduce the fiber diameter to very small values ​​(8-9 microns), so that only one mode becomes possible. Single-mode, as they are called, fiber (. Figure 1.3, b) is very effective in reducing the variance, and the resulting band - many GHz  ·   km - making it ideal for telephone and telegraph public networks (PTT), and cable television networks. Unfortunately, a fiber of such a small diameter requires the use of a high-power, precision-aligned, and therefore a relatively expensive laser diode emitter, which makes them less attractive for many applications associated with short-range closed-loop TV systems.

Ideally, a fiber with a bandwidth of the same order of magnitude as a single-mode fiber, but with a diameter of the same as a multimode fiber, is required in order to be able to use inexpensive LED transmitters. To some extent, these requirements are satisfied by a multimode fiber with a gradient change in the refractive index (Fig. 1.3, c). It resembles a multimode fiber with a step change in refractive index, which was mentioned above, but the refractive index of its core is inhomogeneous - it smoothly changes from a maximum value in the center to a lower value at the periphery. This has two consequences. First, the light travels along a slightly curving path, and second, and more importantly, the differences in propagation delay of different modes are minimal. This is due to the fact that high fashion, those entering the fiber at a higher angle and traveling a longer path actually begin to propagate at a faster rate as they move away from the center into the region where the refractive index decreases, and generally move faster than the lower-order modes remaining near the axis into fibers, in the region of high refractive index. Increase speedjust compensates for the greater traversable path.

Gradient index multimode fibers are not ideal, but they still exhibit quite good bandwidth. Therefore, in most closed-loop TV surveillance systems of small and medium length, the choice of this type of fibers is preferable. In practice, this means that bandwidth is only rarely a parameter to be considered.

However, this is not the case for fading. The optical signal is attenuated in all fibers at a rate dependent on the wavelength of the transmitter by the light source. As mentioned earlier, there are three wavelengths at which optical fiber attenuation is usually minimal - 850, 1310, and 1550 nm. These are known as transparency windows. For multimode systems, the 850 nm window is the first and most commonly used (lowest cost). At this wavelength, a good quality gradient multimode fiber exhibits an attenuation of about 3 dB / km, which makes it possible to implement communication in a closed-loop TV system at distances over 3 km.

At a wavelength of 1310 nm, the same fiber shows even less attenuation - 0.7 dB / km, thereby allowing a proportional increase in the communication range to about 12 km. 1310 nm is also the first operating window for single-mode fiber optic systems, with an attenuation of about 0.5 dB / km, which in combination with laser diode transmitters allows the creation of communication lines longer than 50 km. The second transparency window - 1550 nm - is used to create even longer communication lines (fiber attenuation is less than 0.2 dB / km).


Fiber Optic Receivers

Fiber optic receivers solve the vital problem of detecting extremely weak optical radiation emitted from the end of the fiber and amplifying the received electrical signal to the required level with minimal distortion and noise. The minimum level of radiation required by the receiver in order to provide acceptable output signal quality is called sensitivity; the difference between the receiver sensitivity and the transmitter output power determines the maximum allowable system loss in dB. For most CCTV surveillance systems with an LED transmitter, the typical figure is 10-15 dB.

Ideally, the receiver should work well when the input signal changes over a wide range, since it is usually impossible to predict in advance exactly what the attenuation will be in the communication line (i.e., line length, number of joints, etc.). Many simple receiver designs use manual gain control during installation to achieve the desired output level. This is undesirable, since changes in the amount of line attenuation caused by aging or temperature changes, etc., are inevitable, which dictates the need to periodically adjust the gain.

All fiber optic receivers use automatic gain control, which monitors the average level of the input optical signal and changes the receiver gain accordingly. No manual adjustment is required either during installation or during operation.

Wednesday, February 24, 2021

Cisco has built a modern green data center

Cisco has decided to build a state-of-the-art environmental data center, which it has already completed in Allen, Texas. It used its complete portfolio of technologies for data centers, which includes solutions for computer systems, switches ccie data center jobs.

Cisco has decided to build a state-of-the-art environmental data center, which it has already completed in Allen, Texas. It used its complete portfolio of data center technologies, which includes solutions for computer systems, switches and data storage. It is optimized for virtualization technologies and cloud computing.

The batteries charged by solar cells are not used for operation in this 5 megawatt center, but rotating flywheels and solar collectors covering the roof of the building. Solar collectors on the roof are able to generate around 100 kW of energy and in the event of a power failure, the less environmentally friendly diesel generators will start. Cisco also mentions an energy-efficient cooling system that uses uncooled and filtered outside air for 65 percent of its operating time, saving the company about $ 600,000 a year. Cisco also thought about irrigating surrounding plants for which it used a rainwater lagoon.

And in terms of hardware data, the center uses technologies from EMC, NetApp and VMware partners, Nexus 7000, Nexus 5000 series corporate switches, Nexus 1000V virtual switch, MDS network storage switches, Data Center Network Manager and the NX-operating system. OS. Find out more in the virtual tour of the building (see source).

Tuesday, February 23, 2021

Systems development and maintenance analyst

The systems development and maintenance analyst manages and assembles technological components and supports development teams in carrying out their activities computer systems analyst.


LEVEL OF EDUCATION

Bachelor of Computer Science


SALARY

Between $ 68,865 and $ 103,297 depending on experience


FIELD

Information Technology and Electronic Business


PERSONALITY TRAITS

Complex calculations and statistics

Sense of precision

Analyze, deduce and understand

Programming and electronics

Comfortable with abstract language


Description of tasks

Advise and support development teams in carrying out their activities and ensure the assembly and management of technological components.

Take charge of planning massive builds, add / remove programs and verify results, investigate faulty programs and determine necessary fixes.

Inform various stakeholders of the progress of the installments according to the schedule and advise those in charge to proceed with the environment tests and contribute to various small to medium-scale mandates related to his area of ​​expertise.

Identify improvement opportunities, propose and recommend solutions in order to optimize and develop processes and working methods.

Monday, February 22, 2021

Cloud architect - who is he? Vital to Cloud Success

What is a cloud architect?

Cloud architects are responsible for managing the cloud architecture in an organization. This profession is especially relevant as cloud technologies become more and more complex. Cloud computing architecture encompasses everything related to it, including software platforms, servers, storage and networks amazon web services careers.

The Role of the Cloud Architect

According  to a 2018 RightScale report , 81% of enterprises have a multi-cloud strategy, and 38% of enterprises see public cloud as their top priority in 2018 (up from 29% in 2017). The report also found that the number of jobs for cloud architects grew last year (from 56% in 2017 to 61% in 2018).

“The adoption of cloud computing is a multidimensional process and should be done as a multi-year program, not a fixed duration project. As a result, the complexity of cloud adoption requires at least one architectural leader to lead the organization during the transformation that cloud computing demands. This is the challenge for a role that many IT organizations now consider essential - the cloud architect. ” This is the opinion of Gartner analyst Kyle Hilgendorf, reflected in the report " Analyzing the Role and Skills of the Cloud Architect ."

To deal with the complexities of cloud adoption, most organizations will want to hire a cloud architect if they haven't already done so. These IT professionals can help navigate the cloud adoption roadmap throughout the organization, helping to avoid risks and ensure a smooth transition.

Responsibilities of a cloud architect

According to Gartner, the three main, high-level responsibilities of a cloud architect are:

Lead cultural corporate change for cloud adoption

Cloud architecture development and coordination

Cloud strategy development and onboarding coordination

In addition to high-level responsibilities, the day-to-day responsibilities of a cloud architect, according to Gartner, include:

Finding talents with the right skills

Appraisal of applications, software and hardware

Creation of "cloud broker team"

Identifying and implementing cloud computing best practices in the company

Choosing cloud providers and checking third-party services

Providing management oversight and risk mitigation

Working closely with IT security to monitor privacy and develop incident response procedures

Budget Management and Cost Estimation (TCO)

Scaling support

Friday, February 19, 2021

DATA CENTER SECURITY SOLUTIONS FROM CISCO

Security, high efficiency, flexibility, data center scalability with support for Cisco security appliances and applications.

Secure data center transformation cisco data center.

In the modern information environment, the requirements for data processing centers are growing, and the tasks of finding solutions to reduce financial costs, increase the level of operational efficiency, optimize information resources, scalability and flexibility of systems, as well as adapt existing technologies to new equipment models, and ensure increased profits are very urgent Data center - enterprises.

These challenges are being addressed by changing and improving the architecture of data centers, virtualizing them and moving to the cloud.

With the transition to virtualization and cloud computing, the issues of data security and the IT systems themselves have become very relevant.

Today, the problem of information and equipment security is a stumbling block on the way to the implementation of cloud computing and the transition to a completely cloud environment from virtualized data centers.

To solve this problem, it becomes necessary to change the views and approaches to ensuring the protection of data centers and to introduce new security tools in the processing and transmission of information data.

Improved security organization for new data centers.

Cisco offers a secure data center solution that provides risk-free network segmentation, the ability to create security policies for customers, hardware, and networks where virtualization is deployed.

By implementing security policies, this Cisco solution blocks all types of threats immediately as they approach the boundaries of the data center zones and installed applications.

This applies to both external and internal types of data center security threats. This ensures transparency of information flows and various elements of the IT network, and thanks to this solution to protect the data center from Cisco, security policy is adhered to regardless of the type of network deployment and virtualization.

Summarizing the above, there are three main elements in the Cisco data center security solution: network segmentation without risks, data center protection from external and internal threats, and ensuring infrastructure transparency.

Thursday, February 18, 2021

Using Routing and Switching in Enterprises

Routers and switches are the building blocks of all business communications, from data to voice, and from video to wireless. They can increase a company's bottom line by increasing productivity, reducing operating costs, and improving security and customer service. Specifically, routers and switches support: remote firewall jobs

Improve employee productivity

Give your staff access to business applications

Using routing and switching technologies allows your staff, even those located in other offices, to have the same access to all of your business applications, information and tools. Constantly connecting all employees to the same tools can improve employee productivity. Routing and switching also allows you to provide access to advanced applications and use services such as IP telephony, video conferencing, and wireless networks.

Accelerating access to information

Follow the events at the enterprise

Manage apps efficiently

Accurate and timely information is critical to making sound business decisions. Routing and switching provides an excellent overview of business information in real time and provides a sound basis for effective decision making.

Improving customer service

Improve responsiveness to customer requests

Provide simplified access to customer information

Customers today expect fast response and personal service when they interact with your business, whether it is via phone, email or website. A responsive and reliable network is absolutely essential to ensure that your employees have quick access to customer information and enable them to respond quickly and intelligently to meet customer requirements.

Reduced operating costs

Provide high speed internet access

Share office equipment to reduce costs

Routing and switching technologies can have a positive impact on a company's bottom line. You can save money by sharing hardware, such as printers and servers, and services, such as accessing the Internet. A reliable network also evolves with your business, so you don't need to replace as your needs grow.

Improved protection

Reduce risks

Protect sensitive business information. Since high speed Internet connections are always on, you can be vulnerable to security threats. Viruses, spyware, Internet attacks, email attacks and other security issues pose a real threat. By installing a network solution with switches and routers, you can protect your critical business data. For example, routers can protect your network with a built-in firewall and intrusion prevention system (IPS), specialized software that analyzes incoming data and protects against attacks.

Using remote connections

Get the job done from anywhere

Provide secure remote access for mobile workers

Globalization has changed the way we work. Virtual teams, mobile workers, and home-based workers constantly need shared access to information. Today's businesses require networks that can connect employees, suppliers, partners and customers, whether they are in the same city or on the other side of the world. With a remote VPN connection, employees can securely access corporate resources and tools while being more productive.

Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Cisco's CCNA 200-120 Overview of Vlans, Access-List

This course is almost 3 hours in length and will cover several aspects of the CCNA certification. Topics covered in this course will include; IP configuration, Vlan and Inter-Vlan communication, the use of the IP Helper-Address, Access-List (both extended and standard), the NAT protocol and backing up the startup-configurations to a TFTP server voice job.

This course is very different from the rest because It's the beginning of a new way of teaching using Smart Board Technology. (We've come along way from the traditional Whiteboard).

This is a fun & interactive course that will give you the knowledge to master these subjects and prepare you for the CCNA certification. (..and yes, I said fun!)

Everyone will be able to follow along with the CISCO Packet Tracer because I have included a link in the course so you can download it for FREE.

The course will also show students advanced configurations of the Cisco Packet Tracer Server components, DHCP, DNS and HTTP. Students will acquire and have a better understanding of the topics covered to guide them towards the CCNA or CCNAX certification.

This course is primarily hands on using the Cisco Packet Tracer with some lectures using the NEW & Improved Smart Board Technology. This type of course is most helpful, not only for the CCNA, but also for real world implementation of networks.

Handouts and labs will be available to facilitate learning and practice.

Once the student finishes the course they will be comfortable with IP configurations, Vlans, Access-lists, and Router configuration. It will also help them in preparing for the CCNA certification so they can have an advantage and pass the exam…also, for those already in the field, it will help them to better understand the use of the topics covered so they can implement it in their prospective networks.

(Please always check the ANNOUNCEMENTS section for new updates and events, since I am always letting you guys know of my newest and latest endeavors!)

Once the student finishes the IP Helper-Address lecture in this course, they will have a strong understanding of the topics covered. Students will be able to create and implement an IP addressing scheme, configure and assign vlans, configure and assign access-lists, the NAT protocol and backing up to a TFTP server. The student will also become very comfortable with routers and switches using the CLI… and finally, they will be able to test the network for connectivity using various commands.

The understanding of the topics covered is an essential element for any Networking Professional. This course will prepare the student for the networking certification such as the CCNA or CCNA 2013.

Hands-on-Labs will include; Routing, Switching and Access-Lists. This will come in very handy when configuring these at the CCNA testing site. This translates into making the student familiar with all of these topics so they can pass the certification…not to mention that the understanding of these topics will make any Network and/or IT Professional a valuable asset in a Networking environment.

Tuesday, February 16, 2021

The different types of civil societies and their specificities

There are concepts or notions whose meanings differ according to the universe concerned. It is therefore necessary to distinguish the two possible meanings of what is called civil society . Indeed, this expression can be approached from a legal angle , and in this case designates companies or enterprises whose operation and constitution are governed by civil law . It can also be considered from the point of view of the socio-economic life of a country, and then designate the actors of public life grouped together in associations and acting outside the state framework freelance engineering jobs.

What is a civil society?

The notion of civil society relates to two very different areas: non-commercial companies or enterprises , and all the actors participating in the socio-economic and political life of a country . Here are the two possible definitions of a civil society.

Civil society at the country level

Civil society in its Larousse definition brings together individuals and actors who act outside the political class and power through different types of organizations. It can thus be seen as the opposite of political society, which represents power.

As defined by major global institutions, civil society brings together associations nonprofit , cultural associations, non-governmental organizations , religious communities, the economic and also professional groups .

These associations, as citizens' initiatives dissociated from the State, have a common mission: to serve the general interest in the face of government policy. The role of civil society in good governance is thus of paramount importance.

Civil society in the sense of business

In the legal field, the terms civil society designate any company or business of a non-commercial nature A civil society is governed by the Civil Code , unlike other forms of society subject to commercial law.

To help you in your search for information for the creation of your company , or for any other reason, it is this second definition of civil society which will be discussed below.

Monday, February 15, 2021

SYSTEMS ENGINEERING AND SYSTEMS THINKING

Planes and nuclear power plants have done before, what is it about systems thinking?

- Now it is not enough to do complex work, it is necessary that in the course of its implementation hundreds of conflicting interests were taken into account what is IT.

Let me give you an example: the constructed road should satisfy the quality of the state inspection, motorists and truck drivers. At the same time, motorists should not swear at the high cost of transport tax and gasoline prices, from which the road funds from which this road is built are filled. Work in systemically organized projects is accepted not only by the "Customer Representative", but also by hundreds and thousands of other people who cannot be influenced at all. That is why we have cheap and high quality cars and phones. And not here - also roads and medicine.

Okay, who's doing this systems thinking?

- Previously, systems engineers were engaged in this, but in recent years, systems thinking has moved to other professions and there are systems managers, systems financiers and many other specialties that use a systems approach. This subject is taught in all the largest universities in the world, which speaks of its relevance.

How exactly does systems thinking help organize people?

- Systems engineers use a mega-model to organize activities. This is a computerized description of the subject of a collective work, considering all aspects of all work. Yes, you are not mistaken, for an airplane this will be 400 thousand descriptions and more likely even 40 million. That is why it is called a mega model, it is very large.

Okay, you have a mega model, so what?

- Now all 400 thousand people can negotiate, working with descriptions from this model. They do not need to build an airplane or a telephone to understand that different parts of their work have come together and can work together successfully, this is evident from the mega-model. Finding and fixing bugs in mega-models is much cheaper than in real systems. In a $ 10 billion project, $ 3 billion will be spent on creating and running a mega-model.

Understood nothing.- Everyone knows that the elephant is eaten in parts. To do complex work, it must be broken into small pieces and distributed to people. This is called splitting. Engineers break down a product and get a product structure or product structure, managers break down work or capital into parts and get a work breakdown structure (WBS) or budgets. For a long time, people got by with a small amount of partitions in their projects, but as the complexity of projects grew, the classic, established working methods taught and still taught in business schools created more and more problems. For example, the budget structure and work breakdown during the design of a power plant is not at all appropriate for the budget structure and work breakdown when operating and maintaining the same power plant while it is running. This led to an explosive growth in the so-called constructor versus technologist or white-collar and blue-collar problem. The most common phrase is "they have designed something that cannot be done." I will add that not only to do, but also to ride this, and to repair, is also not much fun.

And what do you want, this is how life is arranged, there is no single correct view! - Of course not, which is what they say in systems thinking. All views of all participants are carefully identified, recorded, and interests are taken into account during the design and creation of the system. This is the difference between modern systems thinking from other management systems - happiness for everyone, cheaply and so that no one leaves offended.

Wait, how can you take into account the opinion of 400 thousand people who will do all this, and even 400 million who will use all this? The only way is to do and try.

- Do you use an iPhone or another phone? You drive cars, fly airplanes, and now read this text from computers. But for the most part, everything suits you? So it is possible, although not easy at all. And you need to try in the mega-model, it's much faster and cheaper.

Friday, February 12, 2021

What Are The Differences Between A Computer Scientist And A Mechanical Engineer?

When you make strong comparisons between these two professionals, you’ll find a lot of revealing facts. Although they possess similarities, their differences basically set them apart. So, in this section, we will clearly differentiate between these two experts in different sections of their expertise.


#1 Computer Science vs Mechanical Engineering– Duties

On every job, your core responsibilities separate you from your counterparts or better yet, your fellow professionals. Hence, you know the role you have to play in every project and the stipulated timing as well. So, let’s look at the core responsibilities of the computer scientist and the mechanical engineer too average computer science salary.

Duties Of A Computer Scientist

Computer scientists create structures that enable our technological devices to function appropriately. From our laptops, smartphones down to our medical equipment, they all need computer scientists to function properly. So, they play a vital and uncontestable role in ensuring technological advancements happen.

However, according to targetjobs, computer scientists perform core duties such as;

Conceptualising computational and maths-related problems and challenges

Developing new products or solve practical computing problems

Conducting research involving experimentation and modelling

Working as part of a research team with programmers, IT professionals, and mechanical, electrical or software engineers to solve problems and create new products

Studying, experimenting and investigating technological fields such as artificial intelligence, robotics and virtual reality

Seeking to improve the performance of existing computer systems and software

Developing new hardware or computing techniques and materials

Duties Of A Mechanical Engineer

Mechanical engineers create specifications for the development, design, production and installation of new or modified mechanical components or systems. Hence, they’re technically-minded experts with strong scientific, numerical and problem-solving skills.

Assessing project requirements

Measuring the performance of mechanical components, devices and engines

Agreeing budgets, timescales and specifications with clients and managers

Maintaining and modifying equipment to ensure that it is safe, reliable and efficient

Utilizing computer-aided design/modelling software

liaising with suppliers

Producing and implementing designs and test procedures

Testing, evaluating, modifying and re-testing products

Thursday, February 11, 2021

IT security analyst

This is a topical profession! With computer breaches and theft of personal data increasing in recent years, cybersecurity analysts are not only sure to find work, they will also be sure to make a difference in the lives of people and businesses. 

According to TECHNOCompétences, the IT security analyst "ensures that the installations of programs and software as well as the recommendations made to users comply with norms, standards and audits concerning security". 

Main tasks high paying entry level jobs

Implement IT security policies and procedures.

Administer and maintain firewalls.

Manage, monitor and update malware prevention systems.

Oversee Security Advisory Groups to ensure that all updates, patches, and preventative actions necessary for network security have been completed.

Detect and prevent any intrusion.

Analyze intrusion detections.

Create, modify and delete user accounts.

Monitor systems security and resolve security incidents.

Ensure the integrity and confidentiality of sensitive data.

Training

A bachelor's degree in cybersecurity has recently been offered by the École Polytechnique de Montréal . There are also many very interesting certifications for recruiters. All the details here .

Skills

The responsibilities of the IT security analyst will lead him to focus on a few technical skills of which the following graph gives a good example. 

The soft skills are not left out, and would be even more important than the degree for specialist cyber ! Some of the interpersonal and personal skills that an IT security analyst must develop include: 

Effective communication;

Creativity;

The organization of its work;

Problem solving;

The teamwork.

Source: TECHNOCompétences

Salary

On average, an intermediate IT security analyst with 10 years of experience earned $ 97,300 annually in 2018, according to Métiers Québec. A senior IT security analyst made $ 114,300, again with 10 years of experience.

Wednesday, February 10, 2021

Wi-Fi networks. Work and standards. Application and features

At the beginning of the development of the Internet, the network was connected with a network cable, which had to be carried out in the room in such a way that it did not interfere. He was fastened and hidden as best they could. Old computer furniture still has cable holes.

When wireless technologies and Wi-Fi networks became popular, the need to run a network cable and hide it disappeared. Wireless technology allows you to get the Internet "over the air" if you have a router (access point). The Internet began to develop in 1991, and closer to 2010 it has already become especially popular.

What is Wi-Fi

It is a modern standard for receiving and transmitting data from one device to another. In this case, the devices must be equipped with radio modules. Such Wi-Fi modules are part of many electronic devices and equipment. At first, they were included only in a set of tablets, laptops, smartphones. But now they can be found in cameras, printers, washing machines, and even multicooker.

Seti Wi-Fi 1

Principle of operation

To access Wi-Fi, you need an access point. Today this point is mainly a router. This is a small plastic box, on the body of which there are several jacks for connecting the Internet via a wire. The router itself is connected to the Internet via a network wire called a twisted pair. Through the antenna, the access point distributes information from the Internet to the Wi-Fi network, through which various devices that have a Wi-Fi receiver receive this data.

Instead of a router, a laptop, tablet or smartphone can work. They must also have a mobile internet connection via a SIM card. These devices have the same communication principle as a router.

The method of connecting the Internet to the access point does not matter. Access points are divided into private and public. The former are used only for use by the owners themselves. The latter give access to the Internet for money, or for free to a large number of users.

Seti Wi-Fi 2

Public spots (hotspots) are most often found in public places. It is easy to connect to such networks, being on the territory of this point, or near it. In some places, it requires you to log in, but you are offered a password and login if you use the paid services of this institution.

In many cities, their entire territory is completely covered by a Wi-Fi network. To connect to it, you need to pay for a subscription, which is not expensive. Consumers are provided with both commercial networks and free access. Such networks are being built by municipalities and individuals. Small networks for residential buildings, public institutions become larger over time, use a peer-to-peer agreement to interact freely with each other, work on volunteering and donations from other organizations.

City authorities often sponsor similar projects. For example, in France, some cities provide unlimited Internet access to those who give permission to use the roof of a house to install a Wi-Fi antenna. Many universities in the west allow online access to students and visitors. The number of hot spots (public points) is growing steadily.

Wi-Fi standards: what does wlan stand for

IEEE 802.11 - protocols for low data rates, the main standard.

IEEE 802.11a - not compatible with 802.11b, for high speeds, uses 5 GHz channels. The ability to pass data up to 54 Mbps.

IEEE 802.11b is a standard for fast speeds, 2.4 GHz channel frequency, bandwidth up to 11 Mbps.

IEEE 802.11g - the speed is equivalent to the 11a standard, the channel frequency is 2.4 GHz, it is compatible with 11b, the bandwidth is up to 54 Mbps.

IEEE 802.11n - the most advanced commercial standard, 2.4 and 5 GHz channel frequencies, can work in conjunction with 11b, 11g, 11a. The highest speed of work is 300 Mbps.

To get a closer look at how various wireless standards work, consider the information in the table.

Tuesday, February 9, 2021

Product update: Menus in the reservation process

Which features are new?

Menus on the reservation confirmation

You can now show your guests your lunch menu or an extract from your menu during the reservation process. As soon as the guest has made a reservation, they will see your lunch menu or the extract from your menu, depending on the time of day define contingent.

The cards you have uploaded to Lunchgate are also displayed.

Increase the anticipation of your guests with a look at the menu.

More house specialties

We have also increased the number of menus in your house specialties. You can now list up to five menus as extracts from your menu. These appear in the menu box of your restaurant, on your Lunchgate profile and on the reservation confirmations with forAtable.

When does what appear?

If your guest makes his reservation for the time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., your lunch menu will be displayed. If you do not use the Lunchgate Menu Marketing or have not entered any menus on that day, the guest will see an extract from your menu - the house specialties.

When making a reservation after 2 p.m., the guest will see the extract from your menu and the menu and drinks cards you have uploaded.

What happens if I don't post lunch menus on Lunchgate?

If you do not use Lunchgate menu marketing, your guest will see the extract from your card and the cards you have uploaded to your Lunchgate profile.

I do not use the Marketing menu or the extract from the menu. What does the guest see?

If you do not use either option, the guest will be shown the reservation confirmation as before. In other words, without a lunch menu, without an extract from your menu. However, you still have the option to upload your menu and beverage cards, then these will be displayed to the guest. Please note, however, that the guest experience in your restaurant begins long before the actual visit and that the guest can choose from your lunch menu or the excerpt Your card can already be made “tasty”.

Where do I enter the lunch menus and house specialties?

The lunch menus are part of the Lunchgate menu marketing. If you are already using them, nothing will change for you, except that they will still be displayed to your guests on a different channel.

Monday, February 8, 2021

Business vs Functional Requirements

In the terms of reference, both business requirements for the system and functional requirements are recorded: freelance service technician

- Business requirements are a description of what the system should do  in the language of the business user. Business requirements, in particular, must be clear to a leader with no technical training or experience.

- Functional requirements are a description of HOW certain actions are performed in the system. At the stage of developing a technical assignment, functional requirements are usually fixed only for the most complex blocks of the project. Deepening into difficult areas allows you to reduce risks in the subsequent assessment of the project. Typically functional requirements include flowcharts, state diagrams, flowcharts, and are complemented by layouts for the most complex screens.

Example business requirement:

“For an advertising campaign, it is important to track the limit of impressions as accurately as possible in order to avoid financial losses associated with displaying banners in excess of the paid limit. In addition, the task arises to limit the display of one banner to one user, for example, no more than N times a day. "

An example of a functional requirement:

“To solve this problem  [for what - see above],  it is supposed to use an external service, to which banner servers will contact each time the banner is displayed. Since this service is a point of failure, banner servers must correctly handle the situation when an external service is unavailable or responds with delays. "

We usually include

The terms of reference contains a description of the roles and main user scenarios in the system being developed.

In the case of the banner advertising system, we will highlight such a scenario as the creation of an advertising space by a user in the Administrator role.

Scenario name: Create ad slot

Role: Administrator

An example of a functional requirement:

“After adding a new site to the system, the administrator must create advertising slots associated with it. When creating an ad space, the site, type of space, supported banner format, size, frequency of impressions (for static places) must be indicated. Once an ad slot is created, it becomes available to managers who advertise.

Each ad slot created receives a universal identifier that is used by the content management system in a request to display banners. To do this, you need to make the appropriate changes to the code of the site page ".

The terms of reference contains requirements for the integration of the developed system with other external and internal systems used by the customer.

In the context of the terms of reference for the banner system, this is integration with the company's site management systems, billing, authentication and user data storage.

"The banner advertising system is linked to three external modules operating in the company's environment: the company's site management system, the billing system, and the user authentication and data storage system." Each banner display is accompanied by a request from the  content management system  to the banner system. These systems also share common ad space and ad slot identifiers and consistent targeting parameter names. " 

In the terms of reference, we usually include a  glossary that explains the meanings of specific terms used in the document. It is very important to accurately define the meaning of the terms that are subsequently used in the document.

“ Placement (placement unit, media plan line) is  an entity that unites the banner that needs to be shown, the ad space on which the banner will be shown, as well as display rules. Display rules determine the placement period, targeting parameters, placement limits, weights, etc. In fact, all advertising campaigns consist of placements. "

Thursday, February 4, 2021

The possibility of replacing spare parts without the use of industrial technology

It is recommended to provide the following provisions in the TK: sow definition

- forecast of the development of requirements for this product for the expected period of its release;

- recommended stages of product modernization, taking into account the forecast of requirements development;

- compliance with the requirements of the countries of intended export, taking into account the forecast of the development of these requirements;

- maintainability characteristics;

- the possibility of replacing spare parts without the use of industrial technology;

- the availability and safety of effective use of products by people with disabilities and elderly citizens (for the relevant products provided for by the legislation of the Russian Federation).

The terms of reference are drawn up in accordance with the general requirements for text design documents according to GOST 2.105-95 (ESKD. General requirements for text documents) on A4 sheets, as a rule, without a frame and a main inscription. The sheet (page) numbers are placed at the top of the sheet above the text.

The values ​​of indicators, norms and requirements are indicated, as a rule, with maximum deviations or maximum and minimum values. If these indicators, norms, requirements are unambiguously regulated by the NTD, the TK should include a link to these documents or their sections, as well as additional requirements that take into account the features of the system being created. If the specific values ​​of indicators, norms and requirements cannot be established in the process of developing TK, a record should be made on the procedure for establishing and agreeing these indicators, norms and requirements: “The final requirement (value) is specified in the process ... and is agreed by the protocol with on the stage ".

At any stage of product development, with the consent of the customer and the developer, changes and additions can be made to the TK or a document replacing it that do not violate the conditions for fulfilling the mandatory requirements. Coordination and approval of additions to the TK are carried out in the manner established for the TK itself. Changes to the TK are not allowed to be approved after the product has been submitted for acceptance tests. Registration, accounting and storage of technical specifications and additions to it are carried out in accordance with the requirements of GOST 2.501-88 (ESKD. Rules for accounting and storage).

Another document containing the necessary and sufficient requirements for product development and mutually recognized by the customer and the developer can be used as a TK. In the case of proactive product development, TK (or a document replacing it) is based on the results of product market research, as well as patent research in accordance with GOST R 15.011-96 (SRPP. Patent research. Content and procedure)

It is not allowed to include in the TK requirements that contradict the laws of the Russian Federation and mandatory requirements.

Drawing up a technical assignment (TOR) is a complex and responsible task: many data are not yet known, but how the task will be drawn up can facilitate or complicate subsequent design. It is not for nothing that it is believed that a competent technical specification is half the success in solving a problem, and the time spent on preparing a technical specification is one of the best investments that can be made during the design period.

Server management systems

Enterprises receive the services and functions they need (databases, e-mail, website hosting, work applications, etc.) for their corporate I...