Quirk writes "Wired News has a blurb celebrating the 10th birthday of the Beowulf cluster. Attendees recalled the initial fear and loathing the Beowulf project had to overcome. The Beowulf project takes its name from an epic poem penned circa 1000 A.D."
Attendees of what, exactly? The blurb? I've never attended a blurb. Can you build a beowulf of them??
Sigh.
-buf
I started out as a word processing-lab assistant, for minimum wage, quickly graduated to the faculty lab, then on as a full sysadm running all the computer systems. Along the way, I picked up a TON of experience including Novell (hey! it was neat back in the day,) UNIX, Linux, and Cisco networking.
Medium-sized schools or bigger tend to be pretty well equipped, even if it's not readily visible (does you school have labs spread across multiple buildings, dorm-networking, wireless???)
I leveraged that into a good IT engineering position, and beyond.
Get in with your UCS/ACS/OIT/Whatever it's called, department, and you can learn a heck of a lot.
Since very few (eg: 2) here have the main access passwords to the systems (root, administrator, dba, etc...) I have printed up a copy of the password card and have it in a sealed envelope stored in a safe. My boss, the company's CFO has the combination to the safe to get at it should either of us get whacked.
I don't delude myself into thinking that someone cares about getting into my personal data, but I have another envelope in a safe at home, and the combination is left with my lawyer with instructions to give it to my beneficiary.
-buf
Re:Note to self...
on
Borg Cube Case
·
· Score: 3, Interesting
Anybody have any idea what the basic "sweet spot" is to hardware/softwatre/bandwidth needs in order to laugh back at the/. effect -- and say keep bringin it boys.
I run our company's website that has been linked to on slashdot a handful of times, and survived without any problems. The key was bandwidth--not hardware.
The web site is hosted on three Transmeta 633Mhz
Server Blades with 512MB RAM, and a 30GB laptop drive. These are connected through a firewall doing a custom load balancing scheme using iptables. Uplink from the firewall is to Level(3)'s network.
We pay for an average usage of 3Mbps but can burst to 100Mbps. The increase in bandwidth was short-lived enough that it only raised our bill slightly (less than $800--well worth the coverage!!).
So...in short, bandwidth is what matters. The hardware is nothing spectacular resource-wise.
It's somewhat similar to my attempting to keep the contents of "Encyclopaedia Brittanica" secret by claiming IP rights, only to realize later that I never owned it, do not own it, and will never own it. Therefore, I would have no right to keep it confidential since my original claim of ownership is debunked.
Well, if you could keep it a secret that you were claiming the Encyclopeaedia Brittanica as your own IP until you got a court to back you up, and give you the license to sue all those door-to-door salesman, you would, right. Or at least SCO would.
...
Since one of Galileo's main advantages had been being independent of goverment or military control, this is a severe setback. ...
I think the US Gov't & Military (and her allies, too, probably) consider this a great advancement of their goals. So...I guess it all depends on your point-of-view!;)
If you're referring to the Green Destiny...the entire cluster, including switches fits into a single 42U rack, using Transmeta-based server blades from RLX Technologies, Inc.. Pretty small footprint as far as 240-node clusters go!
Verisign: We'll donate the necessary components to allow for Internet voting!
State Govt: That's brilliant! Thanks! So, you're gonna give us a cluster of servers, provide bandwidth, and the programming and administration time to get it setup right! Wonderful!
Verisign: Well...no we were thinking more along the lines of this...[V passes the verification for a what...$70 SSL certificate over]
Taylor says he plans to focus on (and fund) studies that 'will highlight Microsoft's advantages in areas such as security, feature-completeness and total cost of ownership.'"
Hmm...so $50 for a commercial copy of Linux. Should make his program pretty cheap, 'cause it'll stop there.
Every computer, including ATM machines, cars, airplanes, weapon systems, and your inflatable sex doll will cease to operate correctly on January 1, 2000. This so called "Y2K Bug" will bring civilization as we know it to an end.
Not sure what the standard FBI procedure is on something like this..."
IANAL, but under the US Constitution such an act would certainly be found to be illegal by the court system. Case law regarding wiretaps, etc... precedent requires that wiretapping requests (well...ones that they plan on using in court) must be specific, not just "everyone."
Now that said, other organizations such as the NSA or HSO, etc...who aren't necessarily concerned that their wiretaps hold up in court, probably don't care. Regardless, they probably don't need to have "providers" turn it off en-masse--chances are they have the resources to get around it either by breaking it, or some other mechanism (like eavesdropping after it's decrypted at the CO.)
Hmm...you're right, but the issue will get murkier if they distribute the program to contractors. Contractors are not a direct part of an organization--particularly if the contract is with another company, not just an individual. Either way, they are distributing it to another entity (in the business sense) and would fall under the terms of the GPL (per re-distribution.)
Just my $0.02. And always, IANAL, so perhaps it's worth even less...
That security strip you see in US currency such as $20 bills is actually a small RF transmitter. When you walk through a metal detector at an airport, a computer automatically analyzes the return magnetic resonance pattern to determine how much currency you are carrying.
Just last year, police speed checking radar guns were modified to return similar information. It helps them to track those transporting large amounts of cash on the US highway system.
Oh no...the rays!!! Forget everything I just said. You never heard it from me.
I'm a poor college student and I was so happy that I could spend $30 on a 4 Disc DVD, and get a FREE (afternoon shows here are $5.50) showing of the newest LOTR movie. It was very nice walking in to the theature after classes, handing them my coupon, and sneaking a bottle over to the water fountain because I was too broke to even afford a drink.
Wait a sec. You were broke, but still had the $30 to spend on a 4 Disc DVD? That's sick.
Broke is broke. Having $30 to by a movie that you have the luxury to have a DVD player to play in is NOT broke.
So sayeth the fat white computer dude with a good job, and who worries about buying that new Wolverine XBox game 'cause he hears it kind of sucks.
-buf
So if, online file traders are like the looters in Baghdad, then I'd liken the RIAA, and the recording industry at large, to Saddam Hussein. They oppress their artists and their consumers, and their latest legal tactics to "kill" companies like Napster are their own private version of WMD.
Companies are required to make a distinction between contractors and full time employees. Even simple things like company-wide mailing lists are, in theory, supposed to be segregated between the two. When push comes to shove, the company has to be able to demonstrate that contractors are NOT full timers.
Microsoft got sued for not doing things like this. They were exploiting contractors by using them just like full time employees, but not giving the all of the benefits like insurance. _That_ was/is a slimey practice.
So now, they are required to conform with the letter and intent of the law, and it's a "caste system." You can't have it both ways.
The differentiation between full time and contract are there to PROTECT the contract employees.
Anyways, in this day, most people are just happy to have a job.
I actually like my current title, as far as those things go...Chief IT Architect. Of course, I'm still also known as "The Computer Guy."
At a previous job, I made the progression in titles of Systems Engineer, Sr. Systems Engineer, Director of IT, and then VP of IT. Pretty spiffy title to end up with, but the kicker is that my job pretty much stayed the same the entire time. I only got to add doing client-facing meetings and some occasional power points or excel sheets. Most of the time I was left to do the real engineering work.
Regardless, my favorite title of all time has to be "Pixel Pusher." That was just a great business card to have.
Slashdot Mirror
No shit, Sherlock. However, proper english is helpful in making a somewhat useful summary don't you think?
-buf
Attendees of what, exactly? The blurb? I've never attended a blurb. Can you build a beowulf of them?? Sigh. -buf
I started out as a word processing-lab assistant, for minimum wage, quickly graduated to the faculty lab, then on as a full sysadm running all the computer systems. Along the way, I picked up a TON of experience including Novell (hey! it was neat back in the day,) UNIX, Linux, and Cisco networking.
Medium-sized schools or bigger tend to be pretty well equipped, even if it's not readily visible (does you school have labs spread across multiple buildings, dorm-networking, wireless???)
I leveraged that into a good IT engineering position, and beyond.
Get in with your UCS/ACS/OIT/Whatever it's called, department, and you can learn a heck of a lot.
-buf
Since very few (eg: 2) here have the main access passwords to the systems (root, administrator, dba, etc...) I have printed up a copy of the password card and have it in a sealed envelope stored in a safe. My boss, the company's CFO has the combination to the safe to get at it should either of us get whacked.
I don't delude myself into thinking that someone cares about getting into my personal data, but I have another envelope in a safe at home, and the combination is left with my lawyer with instructions to give it to my beneficiary.
-buf
Anybody have any idea what the basic "sweet spot" is to hardware/softwatre/bandwidth needs in order to laugh back at the /. effect -- and say keep bringin it boys.
I run our company's website that has been linked to on slashdot a handful of times, and survived without any problems. The key was bandwidth--not hardware.
The web site is hosted on three Transmeta 633Mhz Server Blades with 512MB RAM, and a 30GB laptop drive. These are connected through a firewall doing a custom load balancing scheme using iptables. Uplink from the firewall is to Level(3)'s network.
We pay for an average usage of 3Mbps but can burst to 100Mbps. The increase in bandwidth was short-lived enough that it only raised our bill slightly (less than $800--well worth the coverage!!).
So...in short, bandwidth is what matters. The hardware is nothing spectacular resource-wise.
-bufA helpful post on the Full Disclosure list regarding mi2g's "analysis" provides this link. Attrition has a history tracking who/what these guys are.
h is tory.html
http://www.attrition.org/errata/charlatan/mi2g-
So...most cop cars have laptops installed, facing the driver EVEN. So...under this law, such a practice is now illegal, right?
Well, if you could keep it a secret that you were claiming the Encyclopeaedia Brittanica as your own IP until you got a court to back you up, and give you the license to sue all those door-to-door salesman, you would, right. Or at least SCO would.
I thought the previous post already covered a "better" e-mail client! LOL! -buf
Since one of Galileo's main advantages had been being independent of goverment or military control, this is a severe setback.
I think the US Gov't & Military (and her allies, too, probably) consider this a great advancement of their goals. So...I guess it all depends on your point-of-view! ;)
-buf
-buf
ObDisclaimer: I'm an IT geek for RLX
Verisign: We'll donate the necessary components to allow for Internet voting!
State Govt: That's brilliant! Thanks! So, you're gonna give us a cluster of servers, provide bandwidth, and the programming and administration time to get it setup right! Wonderful!
Verisign: Well...no we were thinking more along the lines of this...[V passes the verification for a what...$70 SSL certificate over]
Stage Govt: Umm...thanks.
He's a model, not a geek. How can anyone possibly confuse the two?
-buf
Hmm...so $50 for a commercial copy of Linux. Should make his program pretty cheap, 'cause it'll stop there.
Ok...I'll give you that, but at the same time...looking at what happened and saying it wasn't blown out of proportion is silly as well.
Every computer, including ATM machines, cars, airplanes, weapon systems, and your inflatable sex doll will cease to operate correctly on January 1, 2000. This so called "Y2K Bug" will bring civilization as we know it to an end.
-buf
IANAL, but under the US Constitution such an act would certainly be found to be illegal by the court system. Case law regarding wiretaps, etc... precedent requires that wiretapping requests (well...ones that they plan on using in court) must be specific, not just "everyone."
Now that said, other organizations such as the NSA or HSO, etc...who aren't necessarily concerned that their wiretaps hold up in court, probably don't care. Regardless, they probably don't need to have "providers" turn it off en-masse--chances are they have the resources to get around it either by breaking it, or some other mechanism (like eavesdropping after it's decrypted at the CO.)
Buffy adjusts tin foil hat
Hmm...you're right, but the issue will get murkier if they distribute the program to contractors. Contractors are not a direct part of an organization--particularly if the contract is with another company, not just an individual. Either way, they are distributing it to another entity (in the business sense) and would fall under the terms of the GPL (per re-distribution.)
Just my $0.02. And always, IANAL, so perhaps it's worth even less...
-buf
I'm going to hold out for the Lifesize Inflatable FLAMING Balrog(TM).
-db
How do you walk straight? They must be the size of melons!
I mean that as a compliment.
-buf
That security strip you see in US currency such as $20 bills is actually a small RF transmitter. When you walk through a metal detector at an airport, a computer automatically analyzes the return magnetic resonance pattern to determine how much currency you are carrying.
Just last year, police speed checking radar guns were modified to return similar information. It helps them to track those transporting large amounts of cash on the US highway system.
Oh no...the rays!!! Forget everything I just said. You never heard it from me.
-buf
Wait a sec. You were broke, but still had the $30 to spend on a 4 Disc DVD? That's sick.
Broke is broke. Having $30 to by a movie that you have the luxury to have a DVD player to play in is NOT broke.
So sayeth the fat white computer dude with a good job, and who worries about buying that new Wolverine XBox game 'cause he hears it kind of sucks. -buf
So if, online file traders are like the looters in Baghdad, then I'd liken the RIAA, and the recording industry at large, to Saddam Hussein. They oppress their artists and their consumers, and their latest legal tactics to "kill" companies like Napster are their own private version of WMD.
-buf
Silly...
Companies are required to make a distinction between contractors and full time employees. Even simple things like company-wide mailing lists are, in theory, supposed to be segregated between the two. When push comes to shove, the company has to be able to demonstrate that contractors are NOT full timers.
Microsoft got sued for not doing things like this. They were exploiting contractors by using them just like full time employees, but not giving the all of the benefits like insurance. _That_ was/is a slimey practice.
So now, they are required to conform with the letter and intent of the law, and it's a "caste system." You can't have it both ways.
The differentiation between full time and contract are there to PROTECT the contract employees.
Anyways, in this day, most people are just happy to have a job.
Just my $0.02.
-buf
I actually like my current title, as far as those things go...Chief IT Architect. Of course, I'm still also known as "The Computer Guy."
At a previous job, I made the progression in titles of Systems Engineer, Sr. Systems Engineer, Director of IT, and then VP of IT. Pretty spiffy title to end up with, but the kicker is that my job pretty much stayed the same the entire time. I only got to add doing client-facing meetings and some occasional power points or excel sheets. Most of the time I was left to do the real engineering work.
Regardless, my favorite title of all time has to be "Pixel Pusher." That was just a great business card to have.
-buf