Apache CloudStack is an integrated Infrastructure-as-a-Service software platform that allows users to build feature-rich public and private cloud environments. Our contacts over at the Apache Software Foundation informed us that the new version 4.2, sporting 57 new and 29 improved features, and 160+ fixes, is available for immediate download. This release represents more than six months of work from the Apache CloudStack community. New integrated support of the Cisco UCS compute chassis, SolidFire storage arrays and the S3 storage protocol are just a few of the features available in this release. Both the official source code release and convenience binaries are available on the Apache CloudStack download page.
Confirming its commitment to the Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5 platform's ten-year lifecycle, Red Hat ratcheted up RHEL's version number to 5.10, signaling a batch of noteworthy new features. With an emphasis on providing greater stability for critical applications, RHEL 5.10 offers enhanced features for reliability and security, including an updated version of OpenSCAP—the open-source Security Content Automation Protocol (SCAP) configuration scanner, which meets the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) SCAP 1.2 standard. Beyond OpenSCAP, the new release includes MySQL 5.5, enhanced subscription management tools, the new Red Hat Access support tools and Red Hat Developer Toolset 2.0.
Convert your smartphone into a solar-electric hybrid model with the new solar-powered Surfr Series smartphone cases from EnerPlex. With a Surfr case on your Samsung Galaxy S III or Apple iPhone 4 or 4S, you can set yourself free from the outlet and enjoy hours of extra talk/text/surf time thanks to an on-board internal battery and a series of copper indium gallium selenide (CIGS) solar cells. The cases are thin (15mm thick for the Galaxy S III model) and light (69 grams), and their hardened plastic construction protects your smartphone from scratches and dings. A wall charger is included for indoor charging. EnerPlex products are the consumer side of Ascent Solar, a developer of thin-film CIGS solar technology.
The value proposition of the new Percona Server 5.6—an open-source drop-in replacement for MySQL—says Percona, is that it includes much of the same functionality of MySQL 5.6 Enterprise Edition yet comes as a free download. The new 5.6 release, adds Percona, offers all the improvements found in MySQL 5.6 Community Edition plus scalability, availability, backup and security features found only in MySQL 5.6 Enterprise Edition, which requires an Oracle support contract to access. Superior diagnostics and improved integration with other Percona software also are included—for example, Percona Server 5.6 can be migrated to Percona XtraDB Cluster to create a high-availability MySQL cluster. Percona notes that by removing many resource contentions that slow MySQL 5.6 Community Edition, Percona Server 5.6 delivers better performance at more than 150 concurrent threads and up to 4x better performance at 1,000 or more concurrent threads. Percona's stated open “secret” to remaining more advanced and current than the latest release of MySQL, yet being drop-in-compatible, is its penchant for pushing out bug fixes and performance enhancements faster than Oracle.
Most people's limiting factor in getting a better job, says book publisher Syngress, is not technical skills or even the soft skills necessary to do well in a new job. But rather it is that getting a job is a completely different skill set and one that most people practice only periodically. Master job-search skills and get the job you deserve with Syngress' new Josh More book Job Reconnaissance: Using Hacking Skills to Win the Job Hunt Game. As the subtitle suggests, the book seeks to inform infosec and IT job seekers about leveraging the same skills they use in penetration testing and recon toward job-hunting success. These skills include targeting, reconnaissance and profiling combined with a technical look at skills other career search books commonly miss. The book covers the entire job-hunt process from deciding when to leave your current job to the departure of your current job, suggests how to research new possible job opportunities and illustrates how to target your new boss, from controlling the job interview process to negotiating compensation.
It was 1993 when the first edition of Frank Mittelbach et al.'s LaTeX Companion came out. The new second edition of LaTeX Companion: Tools and Techniques for Computer Typesetting recently was released and is part of a new boomlet of LaTeX book titles. A technology with impressive staying power, LaTeX is a high-quality typesetting system used in the publication of scientific documents. This completely updated edition contains the latest information about LaTeX and the vast range of add-on packages now available, with more than 200 of them treated therein. Full of new tips and tricks for using LaTeX in both traditional and modern typesetting, this book also illustrates how to customize layout features, from phrases and paragraphs to headings, lists and pages. Nearly 1,000 fully tested, ready-to-run examples that illustrate the text and solve typographical and technical problems are included. The accompanying CD-ROM contains a complete plug-and-play LaTeX installation, including all the packages and examples featured in the book.
Empowering employees to be more productive everywhere, whether in or out of network coverage, is Flowfinity Wireless Inc.'s “mission possible” with Flowfinity Actions. Flowfinity Actions 7.5 is the latest version of the firm's flexible application software that supports cross-platform enterprise app creation without programming. The premier improvement in this latest release is the ability for users to save current progress and switch between multiple Flowfinity apps with or without network connectivity. This is especially useful when performing data collection tasks, such as pipeline inspections, agricultural management and remote construction site reporting, which require diverse information to be gathered or accessed when no Internet connection is available. Another new off-line feature is parameter or filter-based search, enabling users to filter through thousands of records quickly to find the information they need at any time. Finally, lookups that allow information to be stored in one app and copied into another app also are fully supported off-line.
Boasting dual-core CPU and TurboQAM technology, the new ASUS RT-AC68U Dual-band Wireless-AC1900 Gigabit Router is touted by its maker as the world's fastest dual-band wireless router. The technological innovations allow the RT-AC68U to deliver speeds up to 1.3Gbps over 802.11ac and 600Mbps over 802.11n. The RT-AC68U further features dual USB ports for file, printer and 3G/4G modem sharing that includes a USB 3.0 port for high-speed data transfers. ASUS AiCloud technology transforms home networking into one's personal cloud for easy streaming and sharing to smartphones, PCs and tablets. AiRadar intelligently strengthens the signal for extended and enhanced coverage while dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz technology ensure full backward-compatibility with current wireless devices.