Make your Ada code live up to the language's elegant name with AdaCore's new CodePeer, a source code analysis tool that detects runtime and logic errors in Ada programs. As a code reviewer, CodePeer identifies constructs that are likely to lead to runtime errors, such as buffer overflows, and flags legal but suspect code typical of logic errors. Additionally, AdaCore says that its tool goes “beyond the capabilities of typical static analysis tools”, producing a detailed analysis of each subprogram, including pre- and postconditions, which allows for early detection of potential bugs and vulnerabilities. CodePeer can be used both during system development or as part of a systematic code review process. Finally, it can be used either as a standalone tool or fully integrated into the GNAT Pro Ada development environment.
First there were seven brides for seven brothers, and now there are seven tech books for seven strains of security geek—all courtesy of Syngress. The publisher is promising a whopping seven books in the Seven Deadliest Attacks Series, each with its own focus on a specific type of security breach. The titles include: Seven Deadliest Microsoft Attacks by Rob Kraus, Brian Barber, Mike Borkin and Naomi Alpern; Seven Deadliest Network Attacks by Stacy Prowell, Rob Kraus and Mike Borkin; Seven Deadliest USB Attacks by Brian Anderson and Barbara Anderson; Seven Deadliest Wireless Technologies Attacks by Brad Haines; Seven Deadliest Social Network Attacks by Carl Timm and Richard Perez; Seven Deadliest Web Application Attacks by Mike Shema; and (almost there) Seven Deadliest Unified Communications Attacks by Dan York. Each book covers the anatomy of the seven respective attacks, as well as how to get rid of and defend against them.
Keep the burglars at bay with SoleraTec's new and improved Phoenix RSM, an overarching forensic video surveillance management system. The RSM part stands for Phoenix's Record, Store and Manage capabilities. Other product capabilities include searches in video surveillance environments; incrementally scalable three-medium (hard disk, digital computer tape and optical) on-line and off-line multitier storage; and unlimited retention and support for an unlimited number of cameras, servers and users. Furthermore, video from all connected cameras can be reviewed, investigated and exported with client tools that run on Windows, Linux and Mac OS. Features added to the new version include one-step centralized camera configuration, simplified camera policy management and support for QuickTime and VLC media players.
Waspmote from Libelium is a modular platform for wireless sensor networks that enables environmental monitoring in adverse conditions and remote locations with its radio range of up to 40km. The sensors are intended for deployment in fire and flood detection and other environmental monitoring applications. Waspmote networks can communicate to the external world via GPRS or in situations with very difficult wireless connectivity, such as mines. Each sensor device can store more than 21 million different sensor measurements in its internal memory. Waspmote's four power modes—on, sleep, deep sleep and hibernation—enable a device to function for up to three years without recharging the battery, while a small solar panel can allow it to run indefinitely. Special boards that enable detection of gases and physical events (such as pressure, impact, vibration, temperature and so on) can be integrated. Open-source API and programming environment are available.
The folks at Packt Publishing recently released Bart Kummel's new book Apache MyFaces 1.2 Web Application Development, a work that teaches readers how to build appealing Web interfaces with the open-source Apache MyFaces framework. Written as a step-by-step, example-driven tutorial, Kummel's book teaches concepts such as assuring re-usability of code, building consistent-looking and usable pages with Trinidad components, applying advanced components from the Tomahawk library, enabling AJAX functionality without writing JavaScript code, creating dynamic applications that utilize Trinidad's skinning capabilities and preventing the duplication of validation rules. The book also contains scores of tips and tricks based on experience with MyFaces in real-life projects.
The geeks at Active Media Products weren't satisfied with the performance of CompactFlash cards in digital photography applications, so they made their own. The company's 600X Pro line of CF cards, which write up to 90MB per second, aims to free the memory card's hitherto role as bottleneck in shooting action sequences with DSLRs firing up to 10 frames per second. Active Media also says that the cards support 0–70°C operating temperatures and are rugged and reliable enough to take into the field. Capacities range from 8GB to 64GB.
Cyberoarm iView, an open-source logging and reporting solution, has recently become available in a convenient appliance form. The product caters to the logging/reporting requirements of SMBs and distributed enterprises, delivering a comprehensive view of network activity across dispersed geographical locations. Cyberoam describes the iView appliances as quick-to-deploy and easy-to-manage preloaded hardware devices with terabyte-storage space, RAID technology, redundancy and high levels of storage reliability. The appliance further enables organizations to gain complete visibility into network activity with real-time security and access reports related to top virus attacks, spam recipients, Web users and more, reinforcing organization-wide network security and data confidentiality. It also offers archiving to meet forensic requirements.
Perforce came out swinging in the new year, announcing a new version 2009.2 of its Software Configuration Management (SCM) System. SCM is a tool that versions and manages source code and digital assets for enterprises of all sizes. The most significant addition to 2009.2 is shelving—that is, real-time metadata replication and additional functionality for working off-line. This feature enables developers to cache modified files in the Perforce Server without first having to check them in as a versioned change. Users, thus, can pass pending changes to managers as part of code review or approval workflows, share works in progress with another team member or workstation, test changes in a distributed build environment, and put aside an effort when a higher priority task arrives.