Monday, February 4th, 2013

Time	Event
12:00p	Facebook Scales Servers with Retooled Chef Facebook has adopted Opscode’s Private Chef to help manage its fast-growing infrastructure, like this data hall in the company’s North Carolina data center.The new version of Chef has been rewritten to enhance its scalability. (Photo:Rich Miller) Facebook was looking for improved tools to help it manage its growing armada of servers. The team at Opscode was looking for new ways to improve the scalability of its Chef tool for automating infrastructure. The result: Facebook has deployed a new version of Chef that has been rewritten from the ground up to handle the Internet’s toughest scalability challenges. Using Private Chef, Facebook’s infrastructure team can manage thousands of servers, configurations, and access policies. Chef is an open-source framework that simplifies the process of deploying servers. It delivers a flexible model for reuse, enabling users to deploy infrastructure as code across any operating system from Windows to Unix and Linux, across physical, virtual or cloud infrastructures. It’s one of three leading offerings to automate the provision and management of huge cloud infrastructures,along with Puppet and CFEngine. Facebook Helps Refine Open Source Code Facebook helped field-test the open source code base for Chef 11, which helped speed its delivery to market. ”This was a collaboration for some time,” said Christopher Brown, chief technology office for Opscode. “With Hosted Chef we’ve learned a lot of lessons about how Chef works at scale. We found some areas where we wanted to improve the scalability. At about the same time, Facebook came along to give us a platform to scale on.” A key advantage was that implementing Chef required fewer changes to Facebook’s infrastructure than other tools it tested. “Opscode Private Chef provided an automation solution flexible enough to bend to our scale dynamics without requiring us to change our workflow,” said Phil Dibowitz, Production Engineer at Facebook. “Private Chef’s basis on open-source Chef also aligns with our own open philosophy allowing us to contribute back to the greater Chef community.” “Scale matters, and Chef 11 supports that,” said Jay Wampold, Opscode’s VP of Marketing. “Facebook is really the poster child for scale. I think we’ve answered the scale problem for the foreseeable future.” Shift from Ruby to Erlang, CouchDB to PostgresSQL Chef 11 is written in the Erlang programming language and uses a PostgresSQL database. That’s a change from previous versions, which used Ruby as the configuration language and CouchDB as the database.  Opscode says that Chef 11 reduces memory usage 10X over the previous, Ruby-based versions of Chef, while the Erlang-PostgreSQL combo is delivering significantly greater scale. The company says the new Chef server can support up to 10,000 clients on a single server, while only using a fraction of the CPU previous Chef generations required. The switch from a NoSQL database like CouchDB to an SQL offering may add to the ongoing debate about the merits of the two approaches. But the shift to an SQL database will also make Opscode’s offerings more attractive to enterprise customers using Private Chef to automate infrastructure in their own data centers. “We’re packaging a lot of automation capabilities and delivering them to the enterprise,” said Wampold. “The enterprise market is going through a transformation right now, and rapidly moving towards managing complex infrastructure. The role of automation is critical.” “Facebook’s infrastructure is both truly unique and a model for the future of enterprise computing,” said Adam Jacob, Chief Customer Officer, Opscode. “Their use of Private Chef to automate and manage this large-scale infrastructure illustrates the power of Chef in solving some of the most critical and complicated IT challenges on the planet.” New Release of Private Chef In conjunction with today’s announcement of Facebook as a customer, Opscode announced the new version of Private Chef, whose new features include an updated management console, activity reporting, push client runs, role-based access control, and multi-tenancy. Private Chef simplifies systems management through reusable “recipes” and “cookbooks” of code-based configuration and deployment commands “In just four years, Chef has become the open source standard for infrastructure automation, with tens of thousands of users and thousands of contributors using Chef around the globe,” said Jacob. “This new generation of Chef provides greater scale, functionality, performance, and support for both open source users and enterprise organizations. In other words, this stuff rocks, so bring us your hardest infrastructure challenges and let’s get to work.” For the first time, Opscode now offers enterprise-class commercial support to open source users of Chef 11. That includes live system support and cookbook code troubleshooting, with Standard and Premium packages to meet different levels of needs. (Comment on this)
2:12p	Superdome Infrastructure Eyed in Super Bowl Power Loss It’s probably the most high-profile outage imaginable: A power loss at the stadium hosting the Super Bowl, in the middle of the game. How could this happen? The power outage during the game is being blamed on an unspecified “abnormality” in electrical load at the point where the feeder lines from local utility Entergy Corp. enter the Superdome. The feeder system to the stadium was reportedly upgraded in December as part of broader power infrastructure improvements ahead of the game. Local officials say a power monitoring system at the Superdome detected the problem and tripped a breaker during  the third quarter of the Super Bowl Sunday night, leaving parts of the Stadium running on auxliary power and causing a 35-minute delay in the middle of the world’s most watched sporting event. Attention quickly focused on recent upgrades to the electrical infrastructure at the stadium, which included the replacement of electrical feeder lines to the Stadium in mid-December, according to the Times-Picayune. Early Monday, stadium management said its preliminary review suggested the outage wasn’t related to the upgrades. The electrical monitoring systems at the stadium performed as designed, according to a joint statement from New Orleans utility Entergy Corporation and SMG, the management company of the Superdome. “Shortly after the beginning of the second half, a piece of equipment that is designed to monitor electrical load sensed an abnormality in the system,” the statement said. “The fault-sensing equipment activated where the Superdome equipment intersects with Entergy’s feed into the facility. “Once the issue was detected, the sensing equipment operated as designed and opened a breaker, causing power to be partially cut to the Superdome in order to isolate the issue. Backup generators kicked in immediately as designed. Entergy and SMG subsequently coordinated start up procedures, ensuring that full power was safely restored to the Superdome.” The Times-Picayune reports that in September the Louisiana Stadium and Exposition District, which operates the Superdome, approved $700,000 in spending to “upgrade electrical services at the Superdome,” noting that the work on a secondary electrical feeder line “must be completed before the Super Bowl.” The work, which was referred to in meeting minutes as the “Emergency Feeder Repair Project,” was completed during a two-day shutdown of the Superdome in December. The investigation is continuing, and the resulting incident report will be closely watched by the mission-critical community. (Comment on this)
3:30p	DDoS Protection for Hosting and Cloud Service Providers Cloud computing has given rise to many new types of services for organizations. These include hosting options, data center extensions and even new disaster recovery strategies. With the increase in cloud utilization comes the very real increase in security threats. There’s little doubt that as the size, frequency and complexity of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks continue to rise, hosting and cloud service providers must have solutions in place to protect the availability of their infrastructure and services. Now, there are three specific types of attacks which attackers can utilize to bring a system to a halt: Volumetric Attacks TCP State-Exhaustion Attacks Application-Layer Attacks In understanding the DDoS attack environment, administrators should know that their current security platform may actually not be designed to protect against DDoS attacks. Firewalls and IPS are Vulnerable to DDoS Attacks As organizations continue to grow their cloud presence, security administrators need to look at other options to help them protect their internal environments as well as their cloud infrastructure. In this white paper from Frost and Sullivan, we learn how Arbor Networks helps an organization create a layered security platform capable of preventing the above three types of DDoS attacks. Specifically, this white paper outlines how an Intelligent DDoS Mitigation Systems (IDMS) can help secure a growing organization. Remember, these solutions were designed from the ground up to detect and stop DDoS attacks. Some of the key characteristics of an IDMS are: Support both -inline and, more importantly, out-of-band deployment to avoid being single point of failure on the network. True “distributed” DoS (DDoS) attack detection, which requires broad visibility into network (not just from a single network perspective) and the ability to analyze traffic different parts of the network. Attack detection using multiple techniques, such as statistical anomaly detection, customizable threshold alerts and fingerprints of known or emerging threats that based on Internet-wide intelligence. Mitigation that can easily scale to handle attacks of all sizes, ranging from low-(e.g., 1Gbps) to high end (e.g., 40Gbps). As data center environments continue to evolve, there will be a greater need for more comprehensive security solutions. Click here to download this white paper to see how Arbor Networks can help remove the threat of botnets, DDoS attaks and create a more robust – and secure – infrastructure. (Comment on this)
4:02p	Steps for Protecting Your Data Center After Virtualization Shannon Sbar, VP of Channel at APC by Schneider Electric, has 14 years of channel experience and in her current role is responsible for driving revenue, strategy and profitability. She holds a Bachelors of Science degree from Florida State University. SHANNON SBAR APC by Schneider Electric Congratulations, you’re virtualized. You may be asking, “Now what?” Let’s examine the steps for protecting your data center after virtualization. As the consumers of around 2 percent of our nation’s electrical supply – and growing – there has been an increasing focus on data centers to become more energy efficient. Simultaneously, however, companies and IT providers are facing an unprecedented surge in demand for services as the nation’s dependence on technology grows. This has led many to look at solutions such as hybrid cloud deployments that reduce electrical load and significantly drive energy savings, without increasing the complexity of a data center’s infrastructure management (DCIM) strategy. But while the benefits of such deployments are substantial, many managers focusing on off-site deployments tend to meet an unexpected challenge post-virtualization: protecting their remaining physical equipment. Threats to Physical Function & Business Continuity Consolidation and protection strategies for remaining on-site equipment tend to be overlooked after an off-site deployment takes place, but power outages, physical and environmental threats can be detrimental to not only the physical function of the data center, but also to business continuity. However, sometimes it can often be difficult and confusing determining where to start. The following checklist outlines the top three considerations for business managers when developing a strategy for protecting their physical IT equipment post virtualization. Top Considerations for Protecting Physical IT Gear 1. Power Maintenance Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems provide run-time when utility power fails, keeping critical computing and connection equipment operational. To maintain optimal power availability and greatly decrease the risk of unnecessary downtime, redundant UPS systems are recommended for critical dual-corded gear, such as servers and domain controllers. IT managers should ensure that redundant power cords are plugged into a separate UPS or rack PDU (power distribution unit). Additionally, UPS systems with network management cards can also be crucial to maintaining power, as they allow remote monitoring of critical power conditions. PDUs protect critical loads by removing points of power failure and allowing several devices to be powered by a single source.  There are two basic power distribution methods: plugging IT gear into the receptacles on the back of the UPS, and plugging IT gear into a rack PDU that is plugged into the UPS (this method requires that IT gear be mounted in a rack). Working in tandem, PDUs and UPSs provide uninterrupted power for the longevity of the equipment, providing maximum availability. 2. Temperature Regulation To determine the appropriate cooling solution, IT administrators and data center managers must first determine ideal temperature settings for the environment. The final design must consider all variables that affect cooling. ASHRAE TC 9.9 recommends operating temperatures fall within the range of 68-77 degrees Fahrenheit, with the allowable range being between 59-90 degrees. Outside of building HVAC systems, solutions such as in row cooling units provide supplemental air conditioning and consume minimal floor space. Additional careful consideration must be given to closet environments where a UPS is deployed. Increases in temperature have a much more pronounced effect on battery longevity than other types of IT equipment, with higher than normal operating temperatures cutting battery life nearly in half (from three to five years, to just a year and a half). If optimal temperatures cannot be reached, IT administrators should consider placing UPSs in air conditioned spaces outside of the central IT environment. Organizing IT equipment in a rack can also ensure reliable cooling, increased airflow, prevent thermal shutdown and reduce the need to “over-cool” the space. 3. Equipment Organization Overall, the more organized the IT environment, the easier it is to cool the equipment by separating hot and cold air streams. A good practice for reliable cooling and maintenance is to consolidate equipment into one easy-to-manage rack enclosure. This will guarantee ultimate availability by ensuring that critical servers not only receive clean power, but are also operating at the right environmental conditions. Additionally, racks help prevent thermal shutdown events and reduce the need to over-cool the space with over-sized air conditioners. Rack enclosures also help reduce human error associated with troubleshooting via cable management while racks with environmental sensors provide increased physical security, allowing data center managers to respond to environmental and physical threats when they occur. Going a step further, it is important for data center managers to consider the speed of building and implementing the physical equipment. Solutions which arrive onsite fully configured, or that can be assembled easily, can aid in cutting down the time before full deployment, while also providing additional protection from environmental and physical threats.  Products such as rack fan trays, which can install easily, eliminate hotspots and help prevent infrastructure from overheating while a step down transformer avoids inrush current that may cause damage to fuses and circuit breakers. As virtualization becomes more prevalent in the marketplace, businesses are moving from using one server for each of their applications to virtualizing these applications and migrating them to fewer machines. This results in a more efficient computing stack, but also more risk now that there are effectively more “eggs in one basket.” However, there are simple steps every data center manager can take to better ensure the physical safety of their systems. Industry Perspectives is a content channel at Data Center Knowledge highlighting thought leadership in the data center arena. See our guidelines and submission process for information on participating. View previously published Industry Perspectives in our Knowledge Library. (Comment on this)
6:46p	Microsoft’s Evolving Data Center Design The dramatic changes in web-scale data center design can be seen in the evolution of the Internet infrastructure at Microsoft, which has been the leading proponent of deploying servers on pre-fabricated modules rather than traditional data halls. We’ve put together a photo feature looking at Microsoft’s process as it has continued to innovate its design from traditional cabinets to shipping containers to custom pre-fab modules that can live outdoors. Check out The Evolution of Microsoft’s Data Center Design for details. (Comment on this)

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