OpenDaylight Carbon SDN Platform Expands Performance and Scalability

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June 8, 2017

Carbon is the sixth major release from OpenDaylight and follows the Boron release that debuted in September 2016. OpenDaylight first started in April 2013 as Linux Foundation Collaborative Project, with the goal of building an open SDN platform.

Phil Robb, Interim Executive Director for OpenDaylight told EnterpriseNetworkingPlanet that from the beginning, OpenDaylight was designed to be a general-purpose development platform for building programmable networks He noted that early releases of OpenDaylight put the core platform in place.

Among the use cases that OpenDaylight Carbon helps to support is Internet of Things (IOT). Robb explained that Carbon adds the standards-based IoTDM plugin infrastructure to allow easy implementation of new device plugins.

The 30 Highest Velocity Open Source Projects

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Cloud Native Computing Foundation

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June 8, 2017

Open Source projects exhibit natural increasing returns to scale. That’s because most developers are interested in using and participating in the largest projects, and the projects with the most developers are more likely to quickly fix bugs, add features and work reliably across the largest number of platforms. So, tracking the projects with the highest developer velocity can help illuminate promising areas in which to get involved, and what are likely to be the successful platforms over the next several years. (If the embedded version below isn’t clear enough, you can view the chart directly on Google Sheets.)

Securing Private Keys on a Linux Sysadmin Workstation

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Konstantin Ryabitsev

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June 7, 2017

In this last article of our ongoing Linux workstation security series for sysadmins, we’ll lay out our recommendations for how to secure your private keys. If you’re interested in more security tips and a list of resources for more reading (to go further down the rabbit hole of Linux security), I recommend that you download our free security guide for sysadmins.

Personal encryption keys, including SSH and PGP private keys, are going to be the most prized items on your Linux workstation. Attackers will be most interested in obtaining them, as that would allow them to further attack your infrastructure or impersonate you to other admins. Linux sysadmins should take extra steps to ensure that your private keys are well protected against theft:

Strong passphrases are used to protect private keys (Essential)
PGP Master key is stored on removable storage (Nice-to-have)
Auth, Sign and Encrypt Subkeys are stored on a smartcard device (Nice)
SSH is configured to use PGP Auth key as ssh private key (Nice)

Private key security best practices

The best way to prevent private key theft is to use a smartcard to store your encryption private keys and never copy them onto the workstation. There are several manufacturers that offer OpenPGP capable devices:

Kernel Concepts, where you can purchase both the OpenPGP compatible smartcards and the USB readers, should you need one.
Yubikey, which offers OpenPGP smartcard functionality in addition to many other cool features (U2F, PIV, HOTP, etc).
NitroKey, which is based on open-source software and hardware

It is also important to make sure that the master PGP key is not stored on the main workstation, and only subkeys are used. The master key will only be needed when signing someone else’s keys or creating new subkeys — operations which do not happen very frequently. You may follow the Debian’s subkeys guide to learn how to move your master key to removable storage and how to create subkeys.

You should then configure your gnupg agent to act as ssh agent and use the smartcard-based PGP Auth key to act as your ssh private key. We publish a detailed guide on how to do that using either a smartcard reader or a Yubikey NEO.

If you are not willing to go that far, at least make sure you have a strong passphrase on both your PGP private key and your SSH private key, which will make it harder for attackers to steal and use them.

Why You Must Patch the New Linux sudo Security Hole

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ZDNet

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June 7, 2017

If you want your Linux server to be really secure, you defend it with SELinux. Many sysadmins don’t bother because SELinux can be difficult to set up. But, if you really want to nail down your server, you use SELinux. This makes the newly discovered Linux security hole — with the sudo command that only hits SELinux-protected systems — all the more annoying.

Sudo enables users to run commands as root or another user, while simultaneously providing an audit trail of these commands. It’s essential for day-in, day-out Linux work. Qualys, a well-regarded security company, discovered this essential command — but only on systems with SELinux enabled — can be abused to give the user full root-user capabilities.

Or, as they’d say on the Outer Limits, “We will control the horizontal, we will control the vertical.” This is not what you want to see on your Linux server.

Core Kubernetes: Jazz Improv over Orchestration

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Heptio

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June 7, 2017

This is the first in a series of blog posts that details some of the inner workings of Kubernetes. If you are simply an operator or user of Kubernetes you don’t necessarily need to understand these details. But if you prefer depth-first learning and really want to understand the details of how things work, this is for you.

This article assumes a working knowledge of Kubernetes. I’m not going to define what Kubernetes is or the core components (e.g. Pod, Node, Kubelet).

Enough with the Microservices

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Adam Drake

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June 7, 2017

Don’t even consider microservices unless you have a system that’s too complex to manage as a monolith. The majority of software systems should be built as a single monolithic application. Do pay attention to good modularity within that monolith, but don’t try to separate it into separate services.

– Martin Fowler

If you can’t build a well-structured monolith, what makes you think microservices is the answer?

– Simon Brown

Intro

Much has been written on the pros and cons of microservices, but unfortunately I’m still seeing them as something being pursued in a cargo cult fashion in the growth-stage startup world. At the risk of rewriting Martin Fowler’s Microservice Premium article, I thought it would be good to write up some thoughts so that I can send them to clients when the topic arises, and hopefully help people avoid some of the mistakes I’ve seen. The mistake of choosing a path towards a given architecture or technology on the basis of so-called best practices articles found online is a costly one, and if I can help a single company avoid it then writing this will have been worth it.

The Difference Between Data Science and Data Analytics

By

insideHPC

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June 7, 2017

Data science and data analytics: people working in the tech field or other related industries probably hear these terms all the time, often interchangeably. However, although they may sound similar, the terms are often quite different and have differing implications for business. Knowing how to use the terms correctly can have a large impact on how a business is run, especially as the amount of available data grows and becomes a greater part of our everyday lives.

Data Science

Much like science is a large term that includes a number of specialities and emphases, data science is a broad term for a variety of models and methods to get information. Under the umbrella of data science is the scientific method, math, statistics, and other tools that are used to analyze and manipulate data. If it’s a tool or process done to data to analyze it or get some sort of information out of it, it likely falls under data science.

Open Source Comes of Age

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Linux Journal

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June 7, 2017

As of today (June 1, 2017), we’ve been talking about open source for exactly 19 years, 3 months and 23 days. The start date was February 8, 1998, when Eric S. Raymond distributed an open letter by email with the subject line Goodbye, “free software”; hello, “open source”. What followed was a deliberate (though barely coordinated) effort by many geeks (including yours truly and this magazine) to make open source a thing.

It worked. In books alone, the result looked like what’s shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Google Books Ngram Viewer: Open Source

Lack of Experience May Plague IoT Security Startups

By

SDx Central

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June 7, 2017

The Internet of Things (IoT) brings with it myriad opportunities and benefits across a range of industries — manufacturing, retail, telco, healthcare, to name a few. Eighty-five percent of businesses plan to implement IoT by 2019, according to an HPE Aruba study.

But with this technology, and the 20 billion to 50 billion connected IoT devices expected by 2020, comes massive security challenges. “Get them wrong and it could be the end of the business…really,” wrote John Moor, IoT Security Foundation managing director, in a white paper.

“What’s going on right now is enterprises are extending the existing security infrastructure or security components they have already invested in to address early IoT issues,” said IDC analyst Robert Westervelt who co-authored a new forecast that said the worldwide market for IoT security product will grow from $11.2 billion in 2017 to $21.2 billion by 2021. “Some of the issues, depending on the industry and use case, are surely embedded system security. And so that’s why we think those two segments — device and sensor, and network and edge — are going to have the most growth over the next five years.”

10 Best Website Builders for Linux

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June 7, 2017

Website builders are usually a dime-a-dozen on the Internet, but Linux users still have a hard time figuring out which web builder is going to meet their requirements. They want a program that has all the latest features to quickly and easily help them create a website. If you have no idea where to start looking, we can help you out. Just take a look at the list below:

1. Komodo Edit

If you’re on the lookout for a great XML editor that is compatible with the Linux platform, Komodo Edit is the right choice for you. What makes this program even better if the fact that it’s completely free. You get plenty of amazing features with the Komodo Edit for hassle-free CSS and HTML development. Moreover, you can avail extensions that allow you to incorporate some nifty features like languages or special characters. While this is far from the best HTML editor you will find in the market, it is still a great deal for developers who build in XML, considering the nominal pricing. However, this website builder can easily handle basic HTML editing tasks.

2. Bluefish

A web editor compatible with Linux OS, Bluefish was always a good program thanks to the numerous features it offered users. But after the new version of the program – 2.0 – it truly became one of the best among other free website builders, thanks to the addition of several new capabilities. Aside from native executables for Mac and Windows, you get code-sensitive spell check, auto-save, snippets, project management, and auto complete in various languages like PHP, HTML, CSS etc. While Bluefish is more of a code editor than a web editor, it still provides plenty of flexibility to developers who wish to explore options other than HTML.

3. KompoZer

One thing you need to know about KompoZer is that it’s based off the popular Nvu editor, and is touted as an “unofficial bug-fix release”. The creators were fed up of Nvu’s poor support and dragging release schedules, and so they attempted to replicate Nvu – albeit a less buggy version. This WYSIWYG (What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get) editor might have a long and complicated development history, but nobody can deny that it is extremely powerful. It allows developers to access improved management style sheets, along with a window known as “HTML tags”. Despite being an advanced software pacjage, KompoZer is quite lightweight and can effectively help you create static pages. You no longer have to worry about your HTML layouts. The only point of concern is that no new release of this web builder has come out since 2007.

4. Quanta Plus

This is a unique web development environment formed on the basis of KDE. So, you shouldn’t be surprised to find this program offering all the functionality and support of KDE, including FTP features and website management. You can easily use Quanta Plus for various tasks, including editing PHP, XML, HTML and other text-based web docs. There are many developers who prefer Quanta Plus over other commercial web editors found in the market, especially those who use PHP as the main programming language. While this is not exactly WYSIWYG, it offers plenty of useful tools like shortcuts, and the split-pane mode allows you to easily view a continuous preview of the page you are currently coding.

5. ocPortal

Many web developers have often considered creating a portal page, but they have been deterred by the fact that it’s hard to find a proper, free solution to operate a portal site that is not scaled down in terms of functionality. The majority of portal software out there is expensive, and any free scripts you see are either trial versions or demos. OcPortal, however, is an exception to the norm. You can easily install this open source portal on your web server and discover the different features it has in store for developers. Not only is this program extremely customizable, but it also comes jam-packed with everything you require. So, you no longer have to rely on third-party add-ons. The documentation that comes with ocPortal is extremely in-depth and the community is also highly supportive. The developers are also very forthcoming and offer support whenever you require it.

6. Aptana Studio

There are numerous web builders available for the Linux platform, but very few come close to replicating the unique properties available in Aptana Studio. The program has become well-known for its interesting approach to web page development. Rather than focusing on the HTML aspect, this web builder turns its attention towards JavaScript as well as other elements that enable a developer to build Rich Internet Applications. The most interesting feature of Aptana Studio is definitely the outline view, making it easier for a user to visualize the DOM. So, JavaScript and CSS development become much simpler and uncomplicated. Also, any developer who wishes to create web apps should find use for Aptana Studio.

7. Scribes

This is an open source text editor meant for Linux-based OS. Designed for the purpose of streamlining a developer’s workflow, Scribes automates any repetitive or common operations through hotkey support, enabling paragraph management, indentation, word/paragraph selection, line, letter cases, option to toggle. The best part is that Scribes supports over 70 different programming languages, including PHP, Java XML, and HTML. Other important features include support for remote editing, via SFTP, FTP, Samba, automatic word correction, document switcher, completion and pairing, skinable interface and automatic indentation.

8. Screem

Screem is a web builder which supports the Linux operating system. This program combines all the different features that make up a great web editor, including capabilities like layout for HTML structure, FTP access etc. Screem also offers a great interface that excels at helping users with PHP. But Screem is not like other web editors; what makes this program so unique is the fact that contrary to the norm, Screen does not come with any sort of WYSIWYG interface. Instead of that you will find the raw HTML (source) available in the main window.

9. Amaya

Any professional web developer or programmer should make Amaya the first choice when it comes to choosing a web builder. But Amaya is an application developed mainly from W3C, which is the consortium for the regular network. In fact, the program is mainly based on compliance web standards, like the SVG format. Though the file size for this package is small, the content is a lot heavier once you extract it. You have the freedom to add third-party plugins, like the W3C site, in order to support PHP and JavaScript. Amaya is an amazing program and offers numerous graphic options in order to develop the template or write better CSS.

10. Pinegrow Web Editor

If your intention is to build websites faster, then you’re in luck – Pinegrow Web Editor makes it all possible, and the program excels at helping you create responsive websites quickly thanks to features like CSS styling, multi-page editing, and smart components for AngularJS and Bootstrap. The abovementioned web builders can all help a web developer working on the Linux platform to create the website of their dreams. They have powerful features and compatible capabilities that make them worth a shot!