Posts Tagged ‘Computing’

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On-premise versus cloud computing – what’s the difference?

March 29th, 2012
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Back in the 1990s, there was little choice for business when it came to creating an information technology infrastructure. Staff were equipped with desktop computers or laptops and a computer room (or its nearest equivalent) housed the servers that ran the company’s software applications. The day-to-day requirements of backing up, maintenance and basic troubleshooting meant some kind of in-house IT expertise was essential. On top of this was the need to manage and maintain email and internet services. However, in a bid to reduce overheads, increase up-time and gain access to expert support, these were frequently managed by external IT consultants.

These days it’s a different world. Creating an IT capability no longer automatically equates to a room full of hardware and an IT department. The widespread availability of cloud computing has opened up new options for business managers and owners.

Cloud computing is a model of delivering IT services and applications via the Internet or across a private network. The business still requires desktop PCs, laptops, smartphones or other mobile devices to access the IT systems, but the hardware is housed elsewhere and the services or applications can be accessed from anywhere, any time, as long as you have an Internet connection.

The cloud model has been gathering interest for the past few years and this year many analysts, including Frost & Sullivan, believe that it will become mainstream.

Cost and Expertise

One of the big factors in the take-up of the cloud is its utility based costing. You pay for what you use, generally on a monthly basis. Compare this to the upfront investment required for on-premise hardware and the attraction is obvious.

Cloud services costs are determined by the needs of your applications, the number of users, the performance and type of support you require. Once your supplier has a firm idea of what you’ll require, all these elements will be documented in detail in an agreement that commits your supplier to agreed minimum levels of acceptable service.

Another reason for the popularity of cloud services is that it shifts responsibility for what can sometimes be a major internal headache, to an accountable third party. Service, support and system management become much easier when handed over to experts.

For example, if at any time you need to increase the number of users, add an application or increase minimum performance, the changes can be made almost instantly. There’s a degree of flexibility and scalability that is rarely achieved with a fixed capacity on-premise solution.

In addition, the cloud service business relies on suppliers having the skills and equipment on hand to keep your systems running. Reliability and uptime are paramount so suppliers design their hardware and services to ensure maximise up time, building in redundancy so that if even one element in the infrastructure fails, your applications will continue to operate.

Using the same logic, a cloud service has to be secure, safe and capable of recovering swiftly should disaster strike. Cloud hosts dedicate a lot of time to ensuring this so many businesses will quite probably find that these aspects of their system improve in the cloud.

When to consider making the shift

For most organisations, any consideration of cloud computing is likely to be triggered by change. It may be that you need to replace old hardware, upgrade for better performance, or you’re thinking about deploying a new business application. Rather than automatically continuing with the on-premise computing model, this is the ideal time to weigh up the benefits that cloud offers.

Begin by specifying exactly what you want from your IT infrastructure – the applications you require, the performance you’ll need and how the system will be used. Then think about the cost, maintenance, service and security implications for both on-premise and cloud models.

Even if you wish to maintain certain specialised software applications on your own premises, the odds are that a large part of your infrastructure (and your bottom line) would benefit from the shift to flexible, scalable, secure cloud services.

Source:http://www.dynamicbusiness.com.au/technology/on-premise-versus-cloud-computing-whats-the-difference-29032012.html

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Tech Talk: Leverage your computing resources for maximum productivity

March 19th, 2012
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When most people purchase a new computer, they do it like they always have, buying either a preconfigured package of computer, monitor, keyboard and mouse, or they purchase a computer and match it up with a keyboard, monitor and mouse of their liking. For many this makes good sense, but for some, they may be short-changing themselves in what they can accomplish.

Most new computer hardware is significantly more powerful than what you are upgrading, so you should think about just what you need to do with your computer and be sure you match that to your need. Like any technology decision, I feel it’s extremely important not to impulse buy, but to take some time to think about exactly what it is you do with your computer and be sure you get a computer that maps to those needs. Today, you can custom configure nearly every component of a new computer, so matching that to your needs is not nearly as difficult as you may think.

When you purchase a computer from a retail store, that computer will be pre-packaged to what the major manufacturers believe most home users will need. When it comes to a business environment, there is almost never a good match to a packaged computer. A person who works in accounting will have very different needs than an executive or a marketing person or engineer.

One of the productivity gains often overlooked is the monitor. People who work with large sets of data in databases and spreadsheets, designers who work with graphics or engineers who work with fine drawings, all require much better monitor resolutions than say a customer-service representative who fields customer-service calls. When you work with large amounts of data or fine graphic elements, the resolution of the monitor is critical, as is the size, as over time, non-optimal resolutions will cause eye strain that will lead to physical discomfort.

Another consideration is the use of multiple monitors. I know one person who has four monitors on their desk, all high-resolution wide-screen, and each one is used all the time. This person keeps their e-mail open on one monitor, a Web browser on the second, design software for packaging on a third and an internal database on the fourth. I often joke with this person that he could lease out his computer to the local airport if they ever have trouble with their systems as his desk looks like a mini-mission control right from NASA.

All kidding aside, the use of multiple monitors is often overlooked as a productivity tool for most people. I myself work on dual monitors and can’t imagine only using one. Once you have it set up and you have your most used applications positioned on one of your monitors, the software will be smart enough to remember which monitor you use it on and will keep it there. Nearly every newer computer comes with multiple monitor support, but you can even add this to an older computer that may not. It may involve adding in a new video card or using a USB connected video card, though these may not offer the higher resolutions that some software applications require.

Another key consideration is the speed of the hard drive. Users who work with large amounts of data will often need a faster hard drive than those that don’t. Some applications read and write a high volume of data to the local hard drive, so it’s important to understand if you work with software that does this and be sure you have the speed, or throughput, you need to work effectively. Newer solid state, or SSD, hard drives offer some of the fastest speeds we’ve seen in computers and offer significantly faster boot times and access. While these are still a little expensive at present, expect to see the costs continue to come down.

I have only touched on a few areas in this column, but I hope I have given you some useful ideas about how you can help your computer users get more value and productivity from their computers.

Source:http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120318/BIZ/203180338/-1/NEWSMAP

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Leverage your computing resources for maximum productivity

March 19th, 2012
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When most people purchase a new computer, they do it like they always have, buying either a preconfigured package of computer, monitor, keyboard and mouse, or they purchase a computer and match it up with a keyboard, monitor and mouse of their liking. For many this makes good sense, but for some, they may be short-changing themselves in what they can accomplish.

Most new computer hardware is significantly more powerful than what you are upgrading, so you should think about just what you need to do with your computer and be sure you match that to your need. Like any technology decision, I feel it’s extremely important not to impulse buy, but to take some time to think about exactly what it is you do with your computer and be sure you get a computer that maps to those needs. Today, you can custom configure nearly every component of a new computer, so matching that to your needs is not nearly as difficult as you may think.

When you purchase a computer from a retail store, that computer will be pre-packaged to what the major manufacturers believe most home users will need. When it comes to a business environment, there is almost never a good match to a packaged computer. A person who works in accounting will have very different needs than an executive or a marketing person or engineer.

One of the productivity gains often overlooked is the monitor. People who work with large sets of data in databases and spreadsheets, designers who work with graphics or engineers who work with fine drawings, all require much better monitor resolutions than say a customer-service representative who fields customer-service calls. When you work with large amounts of data or fine graphic elements, the resolution of the monitor is critical, as is the size, as over time, non-optimal resolutions will cause eye strain that will lead to physical discomfort.

Another consideration is the use of multiple monitors. I know one person who has four monitors on their desk, all high-resolution wide-screen, and each one is used all the time. This person keeps their e-mail open on one monitor, a Web browser on the second, design software for packaging on a third and an internal database on the fourth. I often joke with this person that he could lease out his computer to the local airport if they ever have trouble with their systems as his desk looks like a mini-mission control right from NASA.

All kidding aside, the use of multiple monitors is often overlooked as a productivity tool for most people. I myself work on dual monitors and can’t imagine only using one. Once you have it set up and you have your most used applications positioned on one of your monitors, the software will be smart enough to remember which monitor you use it on and will keep it there. Nearly every newer computer comes with multiple monitor support, but you can even add this to an older computer that may not. It may involve adding in a new video card or using a USB connected video card, though these may not offer the higher resolutions that some software applications require.

Another key consideration is the speed of the hard drive. Users who work with large amounts of data will often need a faster hard drive than those that don’t. Some applications read and write a high volume of data to the local hard drive, so it’s important to understand if you work with software that does this and be sure you have the speed, or throughput, you need to work effectively. Newer solid state, or SSD, hard drives offer some of the fastest speeds we’ve seen in computers and offer significantly faster boot times and access. While these are still a little expensive at present, expect to see the costs continue to come down.

I have only touched on a few areas in this column, but I hope I have given you some useful ideas about how you can help your computer users get more value and productivity from their computers.

Source:http://www.seacoastonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120318/BIZ/203180338/-1/NEWSMAP

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Seven steps to embedded designs made easier with PSoC Creator

March 15th, 2012
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An embedded system is one with computing hardware that has software “embedded” in it as one of its core components. We are surrounded by embedded systems that add luxury to our lives like mobile handsets, washing machines, microwaves, ATM machines, and air conditioners, to name just a few. Because of certain application requirements, engineers have to approach embedded design in a different way than other types of designs.

The following offers a brief step-by-step approach to follow while designing an embedded system:

1. Proposal: – An innovative idea or system that makes life easier and/or reduces the amount of human effort required to complete a task.

2. Definition: – Next, the whole system needs to be designed, including what it will do under all possible sets of input conditions. This definition is perhaps the most critical part, as any error here will affect the working of whole system.

I. I/O Considerations: – Defines that for a particular input, what the output of the system will be, considering the system as a black box.

II. Mathematical Modeling: – Design the algorithm for the system to work as desired.

III. Functional Modeling: – Design the functions of the system which will accept input and produce the desired output.

3. Technology Selection: – Based on the above points, designers then review available technology and select which devices will fulfill all the requirements while balancing efficiency, cost, and time-to-market.

4. Integration & PCB design: – List all the components, which you need to implement your functions and design their placement on the PCB. Traces and all other paths must have the least possible electromagnetic interference (EMI) and should be free from various errors. While designing the PCB, special attention must be given to the ground as well as all the components on the PCB that use ground.

5. Firmware Development & Debugging: – Since hardware needs instructions to execute the way we want, we need to write the code for every component used by the hardware. This is exactly what is done by the firmware i.e. the application code. Firmware should be of minimum complexity. Moreover, as we write the code, we face many errors or bugs and for this we need a proper debugging protocol.

6. Testing: Debugging tests the piece of code but in testing we test the whole system i.e. hardware as well as the software that drives that hardware.

7. Documentation: Anyone who accesses your complete application should never ask you “what does this mean?” or “How does this thing work?” and for this we need to document everything.

Problems with Current Design Processes:

While developing embedded applications, we need to understand different chips, their capabilities, and their complex architectures before creating the system design flow. After this, we need an application that provides functionality to our product and its components; and for this, we have to write the code. But while writing the code, system requirements keep on changing, and designers need tools that support for different debugging protocols. We may not are not able to reuse our code and we want to encapsulate multiple features into a single system. With all these issues, embedded system design demands consideration of factors such as Price, Performance, Reduce time to market, Size, Power dissipation, Maintainability, Safety, Memory etc of the complete system. Also, developers of embedded system wants to implement programmable analog and digital peripheral on a single chip, thus, developing system on chips (SOCs) is a highly tedious task for developers.

As the rising complexity in embedded systems mandates the need for programmability in almost everything circumstance, designers need tools which can handle this painful job for us, and provide a user-friendly environment in which to develop the application. Even though we have some market based SOCs aligned tools, we are not completely aware of those tool’s functionalities. Also, the tool must be able to utilize the features of the product to its maximum potential. To illustrate this, we can take an example of chips that come with complex architecture, combining almost all the analog and digital peripherals with programmability on a single chip. We may not find it easy to read and understand the associated configuration register and other low level aspects to use the device. This is where an intuitive system design tool that hides lower level information and concentrates more on the system application comes in.

In short, we need a tool that reduces our time to market and takes care of all the developmental considerations that too intuitively and efficiently. Also it should be cost-effective by allowing our project to migrate from one chip to another depending upon the change in the requirement.

PSoC Creator:

Programmable system on chip (PSoC) manufacturers have recognized this need for developers to have a complete system on a single chip which has both digital and analog functionality and that too is completely programmable. In order to develop the embedded application that works on these chips and provide solution to all the stated problems, Cypress Semiconductor offers PSoC Creator. With its unique schematic-based format, PSoC Creator allows designers to develop applications without having to manually mange the architecture or configuration registers. Now, what exactly we have to do is to think of the design and just draw that design by dragging the components either from the Cypress component library or from our own component library and then drop them to design schematic. It is just like drawing the block diagram of a system, independent of the device being used. This is possible because the revolutionary graphical design editor enables a unique powerful hardware/software co-design environment. Note that this tool is not only about combining software development environment with an intuitive graphical design editor, but also enabling immediate testing of new ideas, rapid response to hardware changes, creating libraries of sharable design elements, custom peripherals, error-free interaction with the peripherals on-chip, and complete design realization using the built-in debugger.

PSoC Creator

PSoC Creator combines C-based development flow with automatically generated component APIs in your design. It allows seamless migration from one device, say 8-bit to 32-bit, if requirements change at later stage. While migrating from one device family to other, we do not need to think about the memory map, mnemonics etc. One unique advantage here is that the design can be developed without keeping in mind the target chip family since designers can change the device any time during the development cycle without modifying anything in the project.

Now let us take an example project to clearly understand the functionality and usability of PSoC Creator while developing embedded application in real time environment. The example project shows how to control the LED intensity using Pulse Width Modulation (PWM).

Schematic view, which is formed after dragging and dropping the required components i.e. PWM, Input Pin, Output Pin and Clock from component window. Thus, accessing the component is simplified. Moreover, developers can create their own components. Creating new components is as easy as drawing the design and having the tool to generate a symbol for it. Place this component into a library and it is ready for reuse. Any design project that references the library will see the new component in the catalog and can use it just like any other in-built component. By leveraging design reuse within the PSoC Creator, developers can quickly build libraries of designs so that with each new project they take on, the focus is always on the innovation and not the legacy functionality.

Component configuration wizard which appears by right-clicking the component. The wizard allows us to set the parameters of the component. For example, in the case of a PWM, we can set the parameters such as number of bits, period, compare value etc. Similarly, each and every component has its own parameters, which we can set according to the application. Also there is a component datasheet associated with each component, which describes the functionality, parameters, electrical specifications, APIs etc of the component. Similarly we also have APIs and datasheet for custom component and we can configure them the same way we configure the built-in component.

Now we need to configure the mapping of the pins used in application and the pin diagram (shown in Figure 4) changes according to that configuration. On the bottom of the diagram there are tabs for various configurations such as clocks, DMA, interrupts, system etc. The built-in configuration tool maps the design into the device and calculates the clock setup and routing automatically which makes the task very easy for the developers.

Where we write application code to perform the required functionality. It also shows the breakpoint analysis which helps in debugging by providing the value of the variables, register, memory etc. at runtime. In the code we call the built in APIs to communicate with the components at runtime. The APIs reduce coding errors and ensure correct interaction with the peripherals so the whole software development is faster, easier and less error prone.

Debugging is the most important phase of the product development lifecycle. When it comes to debugging the application, PSoC Creator has all the modern features of a cross-debugger plus a unique peripheral debug window that shows the status of the internals of the on-chip components. It also supports JTAG and SWD debugging modes. Other useful features include the “hover” function that shows us the type, address, and value of any variable it hovers over with the mouse. In addition, developers are able to design a complete project without bothering much about the registers, memory, debugging protocols, power dissipation, chip selection, function calling etc.

Since designing embedded system itself is a complex process, putting both analog and digital functionality on the same chip makes the job very tedious. Moreover, developers also want easy migration of design between chips at any stage of design, maximum utilization of the available resources intuitively. We then studied a software tool PSoC Creator that solves these problems with its unique features such as API support for all the components, flexible debugging support, custom and reusable component creation as well as modifying existing library component based upon application requirement etc. In short, if we want to make some digital blocks work as timer, then Counter, then DAC according to requirement that too dynamically i.e. at runtime, then PSoC Creator is the tool for us as it provides Universal Digital Block (UDBs) that can be configured the way we want.

Source:http://www.eetimes.com/design/industrial-control/4238084/Seven-steps-to-embedded-designs-made-easier-with-PSoC-Creator

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HP Rumored To Launch Competing Cloud Service Soon

March 12th, 2012
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The new battlefield is in the cloud. There’s SkyDrive, iCloud, Amazon’s service — the list goes on and on. Where’s HP in this mix? That’s a question that the new management must be asking themselves, as a New York Times report suggests that HP will begain offering a “large and powerful cloud computing service similar to Amazon Web Services” within two months time, with their version having a business-oriented slant. Zorawar Singh, HP’s senior vice president and general manager of cloud services, said the following: “We’re not just building a cloud for infrastructure. Amazon has the lead there. We have to build a platform layer, with a lot of third-party services. We won’t pull (Amazon’s) customers out by the horns, but we already have customers in beta who see us as a great alternative.”

There aren’t any pricing details available yet, but HP’s services should provide more “personalized” sales and service, unlike Amazon’s self-service model. It’s assumed that the new launch will provide competition in a space that needs it, giving developers and businesses alike more options when it comes to storing files in the cloud and running businesses from there. Will HP be able to rival Amazon, Oracle, IBM and the rest? Tough to say, but it’ll be necessary to keep steam after curtailing PC efforts in the consumer realm and ditching webOS entirely. Additionally, it remains to be seen if the cloud market can stand any more fragmentation.

Source:http://hothardware.com/News/HP-Rumored-To-Launch-Competing-Cloud-Service-Soon/

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IBM’s 3D qubit device brings quantum computing even closer

March 5th, 2012
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IBM says it has made a significant advance towards creating mind-bendingly powerful quantum computers with it superconducting 3D qubit device.
With experts hoping to construct a full working quantum computer in the next decade or so, the ability by IBM boffins to reduce errors in quantum processing and withhold information has made this even more likely.

Qubits, or quantum bits, are the basic units of information used to process information in a quantum computer. Unlike ‘bits’ used in regular computers, which can switch between 0 and 1, quantum bits can be either 0 or 1. Rather more perplexingly, the weird world of quantum mechanics means that they can also be both at the same time.

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It is this ability to exist in multiple states that opens up potential for massively increased computing power.

To use one particularly brain-wrenching example of the power, most fast modern computers will allow a user to work on a small number of computations simultaneously. However, a single 250-qubit state could simultaneously contain more bits of information than there are atoms in the universe.

Such processing power is almost unbelievably faster than what is possible today, but with advances being made by IBM, the reality is almost within reach.
The number of qubits which are able to function is a lot smaller at the moment – just two or three. But the possibility of putting these into a working computer has received a boost by reducing the number of errors in calculations made by previous attempts at quantum computers, and lengthening the time in which the qubits retain their quantum properties.

IBM scientists have now been able to achieve this with 3D superconducting qubits, which it believes are likely to work well in the transition to upscaling and manufacturing.

With this it was possible to get qubits to retain their quantum states for up to 100 microseconds, up to four times faster than what was previously possible. Crucially, this beats the threshold for enough time to allow for error correction in the qubits.

According to IBM, this leaves scientists with almost the minimum requirements for a full scale quantum computing system.

Intriguingly, the scientist reckon that we are now beginning to get out of the drawing board phase of development, with questions needing answering about processing demands for “error correction, I/O issues, feasibility, and costs with scaling”.

IBM says a practical quantum computing system is likely to be run on a “classical system” which can be connected to quantum computing hardware.
Mark Ketchen, manager of the Physics of Information group at IBM, tells TechEye that there is still a good way to go. “Our best guess is 20 years or more for commercially viable systems,” Ketchen said.

Ketchen believes that there are still significant hurdles to be jumped before we start thinking about full systems.

“On the quantum side, qubit metrics must still be significantly improved so that error correction can be implemented with practical overhead,” he said. “We are just now crossing the threshold where error correction can work. The overhead will be reduced significantly as metrics further improve. We have to perfect the technology to very rapidly read out the states of many of the qubits in parallel, also with a very low error rate and limited quantum noise. And we must figure out how to scale up.
“We are still at the level of a few qubits. How do we integrate many together? Hundreds, then thousands, perhaps a few million eventually, but billions are not needed such as the number of transistors in classical computing systems.”

Aside from the functionality of quantum processing there are also challenges in creating a working computer with the almost incomprehensible masses of data.
“On the classical side there are many difficult practical problems,” Ketchen said. “How do we package such a system at 15 milikelvin (mK) and handle the huge number of inputs and outputs to and from the quantum system? How do we handle the thermal engineering for such a large system running at 15 mK?
“A very special conventional computer will be required to operate the much more powerful quantum computer.”

Source:http://news.techeye.net/hardware/ibms-3d-qubit-device-brings-quantum-computing-even-closer

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How Windows 8 Transforms Enterprise Computing

March 2nd, 2012
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On Wednesday, Microsoft demonstrated its new operating system, Windows 8, which is expected later this year. It is a critically important piece of software for Microsoft, which still depends on Windows and Office for most of its revenue.

For all the attention given to Apple’s iPhone and iPad, or Google’s Android OS on phones and tablet computers, Microsoft’s lasting market power can still influence how most people think about computing. “In its time, Windows 95 put the Internet browser in the OS, and that led to widespread communications using computers,” said Rick Sherlund, an analyst at Nomura securities who has followed Microsoft for years. Windows 8, he said, “could be a platform shift for enterprises, and for personal productivity.”

Windows 8 shifts toward more cloud-based interactions. More use of the cloud means more demand for servers in big data centers.

Business sales are important to the hardware makers for other reasons too. Apple does not yet dominate that market. Windows 8 will matter to Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Lenovo and other makers of personal computers. Dell and H.P., in particular, have recently seen sharply lower sales, both to businesses and consumers. A great new operating system could drive lots of sales, and not just for PCs. Companies often make new operating systems a reason for system-wide upgrades of their computers. Windows Vista, which was poorly received, was a disaster for hardware makers.

Margins in business sales can be higher, with products tied to other goods. Finally, the capabilities in a new OS can drive new designs for the computer makers, refreshing their brand. Margins on new devices might go up, something that hasn’t happened much in traditional desktop PCs.

Windows 8 could mean a lot of changes for business computing, in particular touch computing, like the swipes on an iPad. Microsoft appears to have adopted a refreshing awareness of current events, and with a nod to Apple and Google, designed a user interface that is also centered on apps. If you don’t like that you can go back to the old drag-and-drop desktop-era screen, but it is the new default.

H.P. is not talking about its future designs, but Dell sees the next version of Windows encouraging sales of ultrabooks. These lightweight laptops running Windows 8 are likely to adopt touch screens, like an iPad, while keeping the keyboard preferred for working on things like corporate spreadsheets. “Our view is that the mobile endpoint devices will become more important,” said David Johnson, Dell’s vice president of corporate strategy. “When you are creating content, a keyboard is critical.” For other things, like reading a newspaper, he says, the keyboard might go away.

In the demo, Microsoft showed personalization features that included instant feeds of information from Web-based accounts, including Facebook and Twitter, as well as Microsoft’s own cloud-storage system, called Skydrive. There is every reason to think that an enterprise version of this idea would instantly load updated workflow and task information that is stored elsewhere. That could be very attractive to companies, possibly leading to system-wide upgrades.

Mr. Sherlund said he thought the integration with Facebook, in which Microsoft bought a 1.5 percent stake for $240 million in 2007, could mean that Facebook could begin to have a workgroup function, something Google is also after in its Google+ social networking software. “With the touch capabilities thrown in, this is all about the cloud,” he said.

There is only one loser in this scenario: Intel. Windows 8 will have a version that runs on low-power chips designed by ARM. Those chips are now broadly used in smartphones and tablets. Intel will have to come back with its own low-power strategy. Hardware makers using Windows will immediately have the kind of chips in an iPad, which help a mobile device run longer on a single charge.

Source:http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/01/how-windows-8-transforms-enterprise-computing/

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