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Cloud-Optimized Linux

Vendors have sensed that as migration to the cloud accelerates, there is an opportunity for cloud-optimized versions of Linux. Three early entries in this category are Peppermint, CloudLinux, and Ubuntu Enterprise Cloud.

CloudLinux
CloudLinux states that it is �. . . optimized for Web hosting, so it improves the stability of your servers, which helps to reduce churn related to downtime and outages.� CloudLinux is an operating system (OS) that is commercially supported and interchangeable with the most popular RPM-based distribution on the market. RPM is the baseline package format of the Linux Standard Base (LSB), which is a joint project of several Linux distributions under the organizational structure of the Linux Foundation. Its goal is to standardize the software system structure, including the file system hierarchy, used with the Linux operating system. The LSB is based on the POSIX specification, the Single UNIX Specification, and several other open standards, but extends them in certain areas.

CloudLinux is a commercially supported OS designed specifically for the service provider market. CloudServer�s revenue is derived mostly from support subscriptions (currently $14 per month, per server).

Lightweight Virtual Environment (LVE) Technology
LVE is an isolation technology that increases server density, stability and reliability. LVE limits the amount of resources (CPU, I/O, and memory) available to a specific process or customer. It is a lightweight and transparent shell. LVE wraps the accounts on a shared server to give hosting providers control over CPU resources.
Source: http://cloudlinux.com/solutionsoverview.html

What Can LVE Do?

� Give hosting providers control over CPU resources (I/O and memory limits to be released)

� Prevent individual accounts from slowing down or taking down a server

� Protect servers from unpredictable issues that drain resources for other tenants

� Increase density so you can host more tenants on one server

� Identify accounts that are over-using resources so you can address their needs

� Lower risk and increase efficiency on shared servers

� Improve server performance

Source: http://cloudlinux.com/solutionsoverview.html

LVE Wrappers
LVE Wrappers, based on LVE technology, allow you to manage resources at the application level. For example, CloudLinux can enable you to control server resources like Mail, MySQL, and Apache within the server.

According to a CloudLinux press release, LVE Wrappers� tools �allow the administrator to control CPU usage on a server at the tenant or application level. LVE Wrappers allow the server owner to control resources for each application they run, which gives them greater flexibility and stability from the overall server infrastructure.�16 LVE Wrappers enable the server owner to:

. . . start individual applications and daemons inside LVE environments, isolating resource usage for each program. That allows greater overall stability of the server, as one application cannot affect all the other applications running on the server. This is especially useful for servers running multiple applications. For instance, a dedicated server runs a variety of software, such as mail, MySQL and Apache, often at the same time. A spike in mail traffic or a bug in the antispam filtering could affect the Web server�and cause the Web site to slow down. CloudLinux lets the administrator have better control and make sure each daemon only gets the preset amount of CPU. The administrator now has the tools to alter the amount of CPU any application can get� on the fly.
Source: www.cloudlinux.com/company/news/index.php?ELEMENT_ID=382
Cloud Linux Resources

� LVE Wrappers: www.cloudlinux.com/docs/lve_wrapper.php

� Cloud Linux Documentation: www.cloudlinux.com/docs/index.php

� Download CloudLinux ISO Images (CD-ROM images saved in ISO-9660 format): www.cloudlinux.com/downloads/index.php

Peppermint
Peppermint (peppermintos.com) was designed for enhanced mobility, efficiency, and ease of use. It is cloud- and Web-centric, lightweight (under 512 MB), fast, and boots quickly. It contains:
� Linux Kernel 2.6.32
� Xorg 7.5
� Openbox 3.4.10
� PCManFM 0.9.5
� LXSession 0.4.3

Its default applications are Firefox Web Browser, Drop-Box, Exaile (music management and player), Prism, X-Chat (IRC client), and Transmission (bit torrent client). Of course, you can add your own.

Prism17 is designed to create a better environment for running your favorite Web-based applications. Much of what we used to accomplish using an application running locally on our computers is moving into the Web browser. Thanks to advances in Web technology, these apps are increasingly powerful and usable. As a result, applications like Gmail, Facebook and Google Docs are soaring in popularity.

Prism allows you to launch and operate Web- and cloud-based applications as if they were actually installed as desktop programs. When you first log into Peppermint, you can access the Main Menu on the bottom left of the desktop by clicking on the Peppermint Candy icon. If you browse to the Sound & Video section, take a glimpse of the applications listed. There are several preloaded Prism �launchers� in this menu, including Pandora, Hulu, and YouTube. By selecting any one of these, Prism will launch each service in its own application window�not in your Web browser. Peppermint is different from (but related to) Linux Mint (www.linuxmint.com), a Debian-based distribution developed by Clement Lefebvre and his team.

Source of Information : Implementing and Developing Cloud Computing Applications 2011

Microsoft Visual Studio and Other Cloud Development Environments

Today, most new (full-bodied) applications are developed for the enterprise either using Microsoft�s .Net architecture with Visual Studio or in the C++, Java or Python languages using other tools. Simpler projects or parts of projects may be coded in PHP or PERL (CGI scripts), and run in a J2EE container, if necessary, so they can integrate well with Java; they may also be coded in JavaScript. Some developers are fanatical about C# and Ruby. Considerable in-house development is done with cascading style sheets (CSSs) and ASP.Net, a Web framework. ASP.Net applications need to be hosted on a Windows hosting provider; there are many.

Programs developing with .Net tools will (after recompilation) run most directly in the Microsoft Azure cloud platform. They also will run in the cloud on a Windows virtual server. C++ produced with Microsoft tools is, of course, compatible with that produced by other C++ compilers.

Visual Studio is probably the most popular enterprise development tool. The latest version, Visual Studio 2010 is a single development environment for Windows, Web, Cloud, Office and Sharepoint development. Built-in languages include C/C++ (using Visual C++), VB.NET (using Visual Basic .NET), C# (via Visual C#), and F#. Support for other languages such as M, Python, and Ruby, among others, is available via language services installed separately. It also supports XML/XSLT, HTML/ XHTML, JavaScript, and CSS. Visual Studio 2010 is packaged in a range of editions for different needs.

Source of Information : Implementing and Developing Cloud Computing Applications 2011

Turning Your PC into a DVR with Windows 7

So, you have an edition of Windows 7 with Media Center but no TV tuner card installed? You are missing out on the main Media Center experience. With the help of this section and an inexpensive TV tuner card, I show you how to turn your PC into a fully functional DVR that will give any TiVo set top box big competition.

Before you can get started, there are some minimum system requirements that I must go over so that you will be able to watch TV on your computer. Your computer must have a video card with at least 128MB of RAM. To support the best appearance your video card must also support the Aero Glass effect.

The most important aspect of adding a tuner to your PC is picking one that is compatible with Windows 7 Media Center. Several tuner cards are on the market, but not all are compatible with Windows 7 Media Center. One way to find a tuner that Microsoft has certified compatible is to use the Windows Logo product search page located at http://winqual.microsoft.com/HCL/Default.aspx?m=7 and search for compatible products. Just select either the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows you are running, set the Category to TV Tuner Cards and the Additional Qualifications box to MediaCenter, and click the Start button on the web page. You will be shown a list of all the cards Microsoft has certified.

As you can see, there are both internal PCI cards and external USB devices that can be added to your computer. The following are a few more models that are known to work well on Windows 7:

� Internal PCI-E: WinTV-HVR-1250
� Internal PCI-E: WinTV-HVR-2250
� External USB: Diamond ATI TV Wonder HD 750 (TVW750USB)

Installing the TV tuner is also very easy, especially if you purchased an external USB tuner. Simply plug it in and install the drivers that came with the device. If you purchased an internal PCI or PCI-E card, just turn off your computer, unplug the power, open the case, and pop in the card in an open PCI or PCI-E slot. Make sure to install the drivers after you power your PC back on although in some cases Windows 7 will automatically install the drivers as it did with my PCI-E TV tuner card.

After installing your TV tuner card, you are ready to get started configuring it in Windows Media Center. Make sure you have your antenna or cable feed connected to the card. Follow these steps to get your Windows Media Center up and running:

1. Click the Start button, type Media Center in the Search box, and then press Enter.

2. If you are prompted with a setup wizard, just select the Express option. You are going to configure your card a different way. After you are on the main Media Center screen use the arrow keys to navigate down to the Tasks section. Then navigate to Settings and press Enter.

3. On the Setting screen, select TV and press Enter.

4. Select Set Up TV Signal and press Enter. At this point, you will get a Tuner Not Found error if your TV tuner hardware is not installed properly. If this happens, make sure that you have the latest drivers for Windows 7 installed.

5. Confirm your region by selecting Yes, use this region to configure TV services and click Next.

6. Type in your ZIP code and click Next.

7. Click I agree on the Program Guide Terms of Service screen and then click Next.

8. If applicable, click I agree on the Microsoft PlayReady PC runtime EULA and then click Next. Microsoft PlayReady will be automatically downloaded and installed.

9. After the TV Signal detection has completed you will be presented with what Windows Media Center found. On my PC it said it detected Digital Cable (ClearQAM) and Analog Cable. If your results are correct click Yes, configure TV with these results. Otherwise click No, let me configure my TV signal manually and specify your setup. When ready click Next.

10. You will now be guided through setting up each of your sources where you pick the provider so Windows Media Center knows what program guide to provide you with. Click through the guide for each source and select your TV signal provider. When completed, click Next on the TV Signal Configuration confirmation screen.

11. Microsoft PlayReady updates will be downloaded along with the TV program guide. Then the TV channel scan will start automatically. This step will take several minutes. Once completed click Next on the results screen.

12. The TV signal should now be configured. Click Finish to exit and start using your new DVR.

Your Windows Media Center is now set up. You can begin to watch TV and set up shows to record in the guide. Now you are ready to further customize your Windows Media Center.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Turning Your PC into a DVR with Windows 7

Preventing Vendor Lock-In as You Migrate to the Cloud

To prevent being locked in to a single vendor, you need to ensure that the architecture you have selected can run on multiple clouds, and that the data can be easily migrated from Cloud A to Cloud B.
While that sounds trite and simple, it�s still true. And in theory, it�s not hard. But as usual, God (or the Devil; take your pick) is in the details.

Totally new development without any use of legacy code is the easy case, but it is not so common; we all carry around the accumulated baggage of the past. However, should you be fortunate enough to have this luxury, I would suggest developing on Eucalyptus (see the later section on this platform) or OpenStack, a new open source effort led by Rackspace and NASA, and using one or more of the most favored languages for cloud development, namely C++, Java, or Python, or PHP for less-demanding applications. This approach gives you the greatest choice of providers. Eucalyptus runs under VMware, is compatible with AWS, supports Windows Virtual Machines (in Eucalyptus Enterprise Edition 2.0), and is supported by many, if not most, of the cloud service vendors. In addition to Linux images, Eucalyptus EE 2.0 customers can now deploy images running on Windows Server 2003 and 2008 and Windows 7, along with an installed application stack in a Eucalyptus private cloud environment.

OpenStack, currently built with the Ubuntu Linux distribution and using the KVM virtualization hypervisor, is compatible with Amazon�s AWS and is expected to run directly on Linux as well as be compatible with VMware, Xen or Hyper-V. However, if, like most enterprises, you need to deal with an accumulation of legacy applications, then it is obviously important to understand what the accumulated inventory of platforms and languages consists of, and to determine whether source code is available or has been partially or totally lost (this happens much more than one might imagine).

Next, you need to determine whether to use this as the opportunity to recode or to just make the existing applications work in cloud. If you are recoding, then the previous advice holds. If not, vendor choices for migrating applications to the cloud will be dictated (and limited) by several constraints:

� Does the vendor support the operating system(s) and programming languages that you require?

� Which database management systems are required? Is there a vendor- maintained �image� that supports your DBMS?

� How much memory and processing power is required? Does the vendor provide sufficiently powerful machines, and is there room to grow?

� Do you choose a private, public, or hybrid cloud? What impels your decision?

� Do the management tools you have in place support management in the cloud? Are there upgrades available?

� How rapidly do your needs change, and can your vendor provision and deprovision fast enough?

� Does the vendor�s service level agreement (SLA) meet your needs?

� Is your auditor satisfied with the vendor�s documentation of its compliance with SAS 70 and ISO 27001? Is SysTrust certification available?

Source of Information : Implementing and Developing Cloud Computing Applications 2011

Tweaking Windows 7 Search

One of the most useful new features in Windows 7 is the Search box that is in every Explorer window and many other applications. This Search box enables you to sort through your files like never before. Looking for all text files in a folder? Just type *.txt into the Search box and press Enter. Almost instantly you will begin to see a list of all text files in the current directory you are viewing.

Looking for all Word documents that refer to a specific company or person? Just go to your Documents folder and search for the name and press Enter. Windows Search can also look at the filenames, but it will also search the contents of your files. This is possible because Windows Search has built-in readers for many of the most popular file types.

As you can see, Windows Search is a comprehensive search solution compared to the prior search options in Windows. With the addition of this new search system comes the ability to customize searches even more than ever before. Various search settings are hidden deep in various windows and will help you customize the way searching works for you.

Adjusting Scope
Every time you perform a search, the results are based on the scope, the folders, and types of files in which the search software looks. Depending on the scope settings you have enabled, the results of your search can be drastically different. These next two settings will help you fine-tune what and how the search software searches, and then you will fine-tune the indexing service to index the files you want to be indexed for speedy searches.

Customizing What and How to Search
You can find all the �where to look� settings for Windows Search on the Folder and Search Options window in Windows Explorer. Follow these steps to customize where Windows Search looks:

1. Open Windows Explorer to a folder you want to modify the search settings for, click Organize, and select Folder and Search Options.

2. Click the Search tab.

3. On the Search tab, you will see three separate sections. First, let�s work with the What to search section. Here you can specify whether you would like the search software to use the indexing service�s data or all data, on-the-fly. By default, Windows Search will search both filenames and contents of indexed files but just filenames of files not in the index. This works well for most users, but if you don�t care about file contents or don�t want to use the indexer at all, experiment with the other options.

4. Configure how searches are performed in the How to search section. Here you can choose from four different settings: the ability to search subfolders, report results with partial matches, turn on natural language searches, and disable searching from the index. The two settings here that you really want to pay attention to are the subfolder search and natural language search options. These features are usually the two that I tweak the most. First, to speed up searches, I uncheck searching subfolders. I also turn on the natural language search option so that I can perform easier searches. For example, if I want to find e-mails from a person, I normally have to type Kind:email from:person in the Search box. When I turn on natural language search, however, I can type email from person instead and get the same results.

5. The final section � When searching non-indexed locations � specifies what to do with compressed files and system folders that are not indexed or when index search is turned off. I leave these blank to speed up searches, but I strongly suggest that you do not turn on the compressed file option; it will cause your searches to take forever and make your hard drive go crazy with activity.

6. When you are finished tweaking the search options, press OK to save your changes. You might have to reboot for all settings to start working.

Customizing the Indexing Service
The indexing service runs in the background and reads and indexes your files when your computer is idle to speed up searches. This works by reading all the files and storing search keywords and other information in a single database that can be easily read instead of having to read all the file information again every time you perform a search.

In Windows 7, the scope of the indexing service is limited to the user folders by default. If you use search a lot, you might want to tweak the folders and types of files that are indexed. The following steps will help you customize which folders are indexed as well as the file types so that you can control what is indexed and what is not:

1. Click the Start button, type Performance Information in the Search box, and then press Enter.

2. After Performance Information and Tools loads, click Adjust Indexing Options on the left menu. When Indexing Options loads, you will see all the locations the indexing service is currently monitoring.

3. Now you should see the Indexing Options window. First, tweak where the indexer looks. Click Modify and then Show All Locations on the Indexed Locations window. Next, navigate through the list of your drives and folders, and simply check the boxes for the folders you want to be indexed. When you are finished, press OK and the indexer goes to work indexing the new locations.

4. Modify the file types that the indexer indexes. This can be done back on the Indexing Options window. This time, click the Advanced button and then click the File Types tab.

5. Scroll through the list of file extensions and select the file type that you would like to modify. Then, check the box and pick how the file should be indexed in the following section. If your file type is not listed, type the file extension in the box at the bottom of the window , and press Add, to add a new extension.

6. When you are finished, press OK and then Close to exit the indexing options.

Because the indexing service runs only when the computer is idle, it may take up to a few hours before your new files, folders, and file types are added to the index and show up in the search results.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Changing the Look of Windows 7 Via WindowBlinds

Before visual styles were a part of Windows, only one way existed to change the way Windows looked: via the WindowBlinds program from Stardock (www.WindowBlinds.net). WindowBlinds is a classic Windows customization program. When it first came out, it transformed the boring gray interface of Windows into an attractive and colorful experience. Now that Windows 7 includes its own skinning engine, products that have their own skinning engines, such as WindowBlinds, seem less necessary. So, why am I even mentioning this application? Because the Microsoft engine will only run skins digitally signed from Microsoft unless you use a utility to get around the limitation. Additionally, the quality of visual styles available for WindowBlinds typically is better than the hacked visual styles available.

Using WindowBlinds is much easier than using hacked visual styles. Just follow these steps to get started using WindowBlinds on your PC:

1. Visit www.WindowBlinds.net and download a copy of WindowBlinds. Install it. Make sure that you reboot after you install WindowBlinds.

2. After a reboot, click the Start menu, type windowblinds, and press Enter to start WindowBlinds.

3. After the WindowBlinds Configuration screen has loaded, you will see a list of all skins installed on your computer at the bottom of the screen. Scroll the list horizontally and click a skin that you want to preview.

4. When you have the skin selected you want to use, it is also possible to customize the colors of the skin. Click Colours on the bottom of the screen and then adjust the color tint of the skin.

5. When you are ready to apply your customized skin, click Apply Changes on the top-left of the window and you will see your user interface transformed.

You can always change your skin back to the default Windows 7 look if you do not like any of the skins offered by WindowBlinds by selecting the Windows Aero skin from the horizontal list when you open WindowBlinds. If you want more skins, the next section is for you!

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Removing the Shortcut Arrow from Icons on the Desktop

One thing that I always hate about Windows is the shortcut arrow. Sure, it is good to be able to tell if a shortcut is actually a shortcut, but I think that I know that the applications that I put on my desktop are already shortcuts. Also, the shortcut indicator that Windows uses does not look appealing, in my opinion. With a simple registry hack, it is possible to replace that shortcut icon overlay with any icon. This allows you to create your own icon using any popular icon editor and use it as an overlay on any shortcut.

I created a green arrow that I like to use as my shortcut icon overlay. You can grab it from the Windows 7 Tweaks web site at Tweaks.com/books/ win7tweaks. Use the following steps to change the icon shortcut overlay:

1. Click the Start button, type regedit in the Search box, and then press Enter to start Registry Editor.

2. After Registry Editor has started, navigate through HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer.

3. Right-click the Explorer folder, expand New, and select Key. Type Shell Icons as the name of the new key.

4. Right-click the new Shell Icons key, expand New, and select String Value. Type 29 as the name of the new String value.

5. Right-click the new string you just created and select Modify. Set the value to the icon path, a comma and the icon index number that starts at 0. For example, I use C:\icons\myshortcut.ico,0. The icon index number specifies which icon you want to use in the file. (Some files can contain multiple icons, such as the shell32.dll file.) Press OK when you are finished.

6. Log off and back on, and you should see your new shortcut overlay.

Source of Information : Windows 7 Tweaks 2010

Cloud-Optimized Linux

Microsoft Visual Studio and Other Cloud Development Environments

Turning Your PC into a DVR with Windows 7

Turning Your PC into a DVR with Windows 7

Preventing Vendor Lock-In as You Migrate to the Cloud

Tweaking Windows 7 Search

Changing the Look of Windows 7 Via WindowBlinds

Removing the Shortcut Arrow from Icons on the Desktop

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