Development and General

Try To Stop The Fire From The Latest Release of Mono 2.0!

Joe Pruitt — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:32:15 GMT

Developers rejoice! Today The Mono Project has released Mono 2.0 out into the wild which will enable you to build that dream application cross platform with the latest and greatest features in Microsoft's .NET runtime library.

Sponsored by Novell, the Mono open source project has an active and enthusiastic contributing community and is positioned to become the leading choice for development of Linux applications says the projects website.

The latest grand release of Mono v2.0 includes the following new Microsoft compatible features:

ADO.NET 2.0 API for access to databases.
ASP.NET 2.0 API for developing web-based applications.
Windows.Forms 2.0 API to create desktop applications.
System.XML 2.0 API for manipulating XML documents.
System.Core support for the Language Integrated Query (LINQ).
System.Xml.Linq support for a LINQ provider for XML.
System.Drawing 2.0 API for portable graphics rendering.

In addition to the .NET compatibility, the following Mono specific and third party APIs have been included as well:

Gtk 2.12 binding and GNOME libraries for creating desktop applications on Linux, Windows, and MacOS X.
Mono.Cecil for manipulating ECMA CLI files.
Mono.Cairo binding to the Cairo graphics library to produce 2D graphics and render them into a variety of forms.
Mono's SQLite support for creating/consuming databases created with SQLite.
Mono.Posix library to access Linux and Unix specific functionality from your managed application.
Extensive support for PostgreSQL, DB2, Oracle, Sybase, SQL Server, SQLite, and Firebird.
C5 Generics Library for integrating generics into your application.
C# 3.0 compiler implementation with full support for LINQ.
Visual Basic 8 compiler.
IL assembler and disassembler and the development toolchain required to create libraries and applications.
Tools including a debugger, code inspection tools, linker, tuner and documentation tools.

Congrats Mono team for another great release!

I've been away from the Mono world for a while but I think it's definitely time to jump back in and get my hands a little dirty porting some iControl apps to Linux.

With all the coding I see on my plate, I may have to invest in a fire extinguisher to put out the flames from my burning keyboard.

-Joe

Technorati Tags: F5, DevCentral, Mono, .NET, Microsoft, LINQ, Product Review, Joe Pruitt

The Networking ABC's - A through Z

Joe Pruitt — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 16:08:17 GMT

In yesterday's post, I finished up my Networking ABC's with the final post of Z. For those of you who can't find my ABCs tag list on my blog, I figured I'd list them all for you in one place.

A is for Auth
B is for BIND
C is for Cookie Persistence
D is for Dynamic Ratio Load Balancing
E is for Encryption
F is for Firewall
G is for Gateway
H is for HTTP
I is for iRule
J is for Jabber
K is for Keep-Alive
L is for Latency
M is for Man in the Middle

N is for Nagle's Algorithm
O is for OneConnect
P is for Pool
Q is for QoS
R is for RTSP
S is for SSL
T is for TCL
U is for URL
V is for VIP
W is for WAN
X is for X-Forwarded-For
Y is for Yobibyte
Z is for Zone

I hope you all enjoyed this as it was a fun experiment for me. Oh, and I've had some great positive feedback so I'm thinking about trying it out again on another topic. Anyone have any ideas? I'm toying with the idea of a Social Networking ABC's but am open to suggestions. Please let me know!

-Joe

Technorati Tags: F5, DevCentral, ABCs, Networking ABCs, Auth, BIND, Cookie Persistence, Dynamic Ratio, Encryption, Firewall, Gateways, HTTP, iRule, Jabber, Keep-Alive, Latency, Man in the Middle, Nagle's Algorithm, OneConnect, Pool, QoS, RTSP, SSL, TCL, URL, VIP, WAN, X-Forwarded-For, Yobibyte, Zone, Joe Pruitt

The Networking ABC's - T is for TCL

Joe Pruitt — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:58:54 GMT

Today's letter in the Networking ABC's is the letter "T". Other words beginning with "T" that would have worked today are TACACS, TMM, trunk, TCP, throughput, traffic, and ToS. But, being a developer at heart, I opted for the word that I use on an almost daily basis. The word for today is the programming language of iRules: TCL.

"T" is for TCL

TCL

Pronounced: Tik-uhl

Tool Command Language (or TCL) is a scripting language created by John Ousterhout who devised the language "out of frustration with programmers devising their own (poor quality) languages intended to be embedded into applications". TCL quickly gained wide acceptance on it's own and is generally thought to be easy to learn, but powerful in competent hands. TCL is used extensively on embedded systems platforms, both in it's full form and in several other small-footprint versions.

Several features of TCL include: Everything is a command; everything can be dynamically redefined and overridden; All data types can be manipulated as strings, including code; simple execution handling using exception code returned by all command executions; readily extensible via C, C++, Java, and TCL; and platform independent.

SEADUG Meeting 1 Recap

Joe Pruitt — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 19:08:08 GMT

Well we survived it and it was a blast! Thanks to everyone that showed up and I hope you learned a few things and had some fun along the way.

The night started off with socializing over some yummy pizza (which I ate way too much of) and we fit in some foosball and pool while we were waiting for things to kick off.

I presented a iRules slide deck covering some iRule basics and then dug into some optimization techniques and ended up with some troubleshooting tips. Hopefully everyone learned a little something during the talk.

We gave away some pretty nice DevCentral laptop backpacks to the ones who 1) answered correctly, or 2) guessed close enough (you know who you are!) the answers to some questions we threw out. For those that didn't make it, here are the questions

1) What does TCL stand for?

2) How many *::payload commands exist in the iRules command set?

3) What are the two functions of OneConnect?

4) Explain with examples what iControl and iRules are and when and why would you use each technology?

Congrats to the winners! Hope you enjoy your backpacks!

Jeff was rolling the camera so hopefully by next week we'll get a recording of the presentation online. In the mean time, here is the slide deck from the meeting: 20080423-SEADUG-1.pptx

Call for Eastside Hosting

We are always willing to host but if there is anyone on the Eastside (Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland) that can offer hosting, we'd gladly move it to the eastside. The location will have to accommodate 20-30 folks.

Call for Speakers

While I love talking in front of folks, this is a "User Group" so we'd love to have someone offer up a topic that they would be willing to present at the next and future meetings. So, if you have a great project that you have been working on and would like to share with the community, let me know via the blog or Northwest User Group forum and we'll get you locked in.

Till next time!

-Joe

Technorati Tags: F5, DevCentral, User Groups, SEADUG

The Networking ABC's - B is for BIND

Joe Pruitt — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 15:12:12 GMT

And so continues on the ABC's of Networking. For today's letter of "B" I could have talked about bandwidth, BIGipCookie, browsers, buffer size, or bursting restrictions but I opted to pick one of the core components that keeps the internet's wheels rolling. Today's word is the Berkeley Internet Name Domain, otherwise known as BIND.

"B" is for BIND

BIND

Pronounced: bahynd
Abbreviations: BIND, 81|\|[)

BIND, short for Berkeley Internet Name Domain, is the most commonly used DNS server on the Internet and the de facto standard on Unix-like systems. DNS, or Domain Name System, is the "Phone book" for the Internet. It is the protocol that allows a program to convert a user friendly server name into a physical location on the network. Browsers use this to convert a website like www.google.com to the physical server location that is running that website. In fact, a "nslookup" of www.google.com is likely to go to a BIND server to resolve that address for you. A protocol is just a bunch of text in a specification until someone goes around and implements it and BIND deserves credit for being one of the longest living and largest footprint DNS implementations on the planet.

Technorati Tags: DevCentral, Internet, BIND, ABCs, DNS, Joe Pruitt

The Networking ABC's - A is for Auth

Joe Pruitt — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 20:59:50 GMT

I was digging through some ideas for blog posts and with the popularity of the "101" series of tech tips we've done on DevCentral, I figured test the waters with some structure like that on my blog. So, here's a go at the first of (at least) 26 posts on "The Networking ABCs". Who knows, maybe someone will invent a new letter by the time I get to "Z".

"A" is for Auth

Since the term "Auth" is used freely to mean one or both of the following terms, you'll get a bonus for this first entry!

Authentication

Pronounced: au-then-ti-ca-tion
Abbreviations: AuthN, 4v7#/\/

Authentication is the the process of verifying a user's identity, primarily when he/she is attempting to access some resources across a network. This can be in the form of logging into a website or trying to open a file across a network share. Users can authenticate in many ways such as supplying a username and password or presenting more hardened credentials such as a client side certificate or a token from a encryption device such as a SecurID card.

Authorization

Pronounced: au-thor-i-za-tion
Abbreviations: AuthZ, 4v7#2

Authorization is the process of identifying the level of access that an authenticated users has been granted. This is essentially a list of what an authenticated users is allowed to do. An example of this would be whether a specific user is allowed to edit a document on a specific file share. It's an added bonus if you are lucky enough to have knife-wielding ducklings to protect you from the occasionally invading kitty.

Technorati Tags: Networking, ABCs, Authentication, AuthN, Authorization, AuthZ, SecurID, Joe Pruitt

Show your Ninja-e-ness

Joe Pruitt — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:37:06 GMT

While some folks here at DevCentral like to think that they are all knowing with regards to folks in our community, the facts are that we only get a small glimpse into what challenges you face in your day to day lives while keeping your network and applications working like a well oiled machine.

A while back I posted about becoming an iRule Ninja. I'm assuming everyone has read that post and taken the challenge to heart and now it's your opportunity to share with the DevCentral team how you've been kicking butt with the programming support with your F5 gear (iControl and iRules) as well as unique and creative ways you have used the core features of our products to make you a "Hero" in your day job.

So, how do you do this? We've got a couple of ways that we've setup for you to get your info back to us:

Plain Old Email: You can always email the team directly at devcentraleditor -at- f5 -dot- com.

Voicemail: Let's face it, email is a great way to pass along information, but it's pretty informal. In line with pushing the possibilities, we've setup a voicemail box for folks to submit your testimonials to. If you are inspired to share your Ninja-e-ness (yes, I made up that word), pick up the phone and give 206-201-2258 a call. Be warned, the voice on there is a little bit scary B-). Sorry, there's no toll-free option right now.

Skype: For those who don't want to pay the toll and have a headset lying around, we've got a Skype account that goes into the voicemail system as well. Add "f5recorder" to your Skype contact list and initiate a voice call to leave us a testimonial as well.

The Grand Scheme

Ideally, I'd love to get to the caliber of Ravensmoon Replicas, where users like Bill W (above) are enthusiastic enough to post a pictures of themselves in Jedi costumes with quotes from their kids. Priceless.

We'll take these calls and build out a testimonial section on DevCentral that propel you to stardom as the closet tech Ninja that you know you are.

So what are you waiting for, get in touch and let us know how you've solved that tough problem and get your 15 minutes of stardom. And don't forget, the voicemail prompt is a bit scary, don't hang up B-) Oh, and for those with "real" testimonials (related to F5 gear - sorry Bill W), we might have some goodies (t-shirts, etc) to pass along in return for your time.

-Joe

Technorati Tags: F5, DevCentral, iRules, Ninja, iRule Ninja, Testimonials, iControl 101, Skype, Jedi, Ninja-e-ness

Python + iControl = pyControl

Joe Pruitt — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 19:42:20 GMT

Today I'm proud to announce the arrival of our newest DevCentral Labs project: pyControl!

For those who don't know, the Python here is not referring to the snake, nor is it referencing the "Meaning of Life guys". In this case, its' the dynamic object-oriented programming language. So, what is pyControl? Well, it's a native Python library that integrates with F5's iControl Management API.

With the support for Python, we are ever expanding our base of client platforms to ease the frustrations of management and reporting on your network infrastructure. Whether it's perl, PowerShell, Java, .Net, or Python, we've got you covered.

So, if you are a closet Python geek, or even one who wear's his Python skilz as a badge of honor, hop on over to the pyControl Labs project, download the bits, and let us know what you think.

-Joe

Technorati Tags: Python,iControl,Monty Python,Geek,pyControl

Will 2008 be the year for C++?

Joe Pruitt — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:38:59 GMT

I was trolling through my feeds this morning and saw the post "Developers Will Find C++ Applications Playing Surprisingly Strategic Role in 2008 with Multi-Core and SOA"

Oh Realy?

Not if Microsoft, Sun, IBM, BEA, Apache, or any other mainstream development platform vendor/org has anything to say about it.

We'll start with this:

While developers often think of developing new applications on Microsoft's .NET or a variety of Java platforms, C++ remains one of the most widely deployed development languages for mission critical applications.

Define "Mission Critical" here. If they mean, legacy systems then I wouldn't disagree. In my experiences with our large enterprise customers and partners, I have heard ZERO talk about development in C++ in current projects. Our customers are working on cutting edge automation and dynamic service environments and if C++ was the "most widely deployed development language", you would think it would come up at least once. The mix I see is roughly 60% Java, 30% .Net, and 10% other (php, ruby, python). Maybe C++ falls into that other 10% category, but even if it is, that's hardly the "most widely deployed".

The reason for this is simple; C++ continues to be better for many use cases, and software developers want to be able to use the 'right tool for the job.'

Totally agree. That's why I see .Net/Java accounting for 90% of all new development projects I see in the enterprise space.

In addition, C++ projects are the second most active projects on both Apache and SourceForge.

Hmmmm. Taking a look at Apache's list of projects organized by language, C++ shows only ONE project. That must be one heck of an active product to the 80+ java based projects listed there. I wonder where they got their data from on that one?

Well, look on the bright side, if you are an organization looking at either enhancing an existing system (or building a new one) in C++, you'll only have a 3-12% premium on your developer costs:

C++ developers, themselves, can look at 2008 as a breakout year for their own careers as well. According to PayScale, a global online compensation research provider, the median salary for C++ developers is three to twelve percent higher than those of Java or .NET developers.

It took me a second reading of this article to realize the motivation behind it. It's a press release for Rogue Wave. No, not the the band that is #1 and #2 on Google Search. It's the Rogue Wave that is "the leading provider of enterprise class C++ components and infrastructure". Now it makes some sense...

It's worth pointing out that Microsoft's Parallel Computing Developer Center and IBM's Distributed Parallel Programming Environment for Java are there to help out with those stuck in the world of .Net and Java and want to catch a ride on the multi-core SOA train.

What do you all think? Will 2008 really be the year for C++? I'm having a hard time seeing it. Who knows, maybe I should switch my focus and get that 12% pay increase B-).

-Joe

Technorati Tags: 2008, C++, .NET, Java, Apache, SourceForge, Rogue Wave, Microsoft, IBM, Parallel Computing