5 ARTICLES ON ISSUES OF INFORMATIONAL TECHNOLOGY FROM MALAYSIA SOURCES
1. Western Digital to Invest $1.2 Billion in Malaysia
"KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (Reuters) - Disk-drive maker Western Digital will spend $1.2 billion over the next five years to expand its operations in Malaysia, a move that could boost foreign investments in this Southeast Asian country.
Western Digital's new investments will include expanding its research and development as well as manufacturing facilities, the Malaysian prime minister's office said in a statement on Tuesday.
"Construction is planned to be completed by the third quarter of 2011 and the facility will be ramped to full capacity over the following five years," the statement said. " There will be up to 10,000 additional jobs."
The announcement comes about two months after another multi-national company, Coca-Cola Co, said it would expand its investment by $300 million in this trade-dependent country.
Malaysia is seeking to win foreign investment to help offset recent large investment outflows. In 2009, it recorded a net outflow of direct investment of 24.9 billion ringgit after an outflow of 26.1 billion ringgit in 2008 as Malaysian companies went overseas to invest.
Prime Minister Najib Razak had in March launched the country's new economic model to boost economic growth so that Malaysia achieves income levels of a "rich nation" by doubling the $7,000 per capita income currently.
Economists have said that private investments, which remain at about 12 percent of gross domestic product, would have to increase substantially if Malaysia was to achieve its economic goals."
By Reuters
2. Facebook, MOL Bring Facebook Credits to Asia
" Facebook has teamed up with MOL Global to provide users in Asia with an easier way to take advantage of the social-networking site's Credits program.
The strategic partnership will make MOL's Access Portal a Facebook Credit payment provider. Users in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, India, Australia, and New Zealand will be able to buy prepaid Facebook Credits on MOL.com and at MOL outlets in 7-Eleven stores and cyber cafes.
Cobranded gift cards that can be redeemed for Facebook Credits will also be sold in Malaysia in Singapore, Facebook said.
The deal will facilitate participation in Facebook Credits for users in the region, many of whom rely heavily on prepaid cards rather than credit cards, the companies said.
"Working with MOL means we can offer the benefits of Facebook Credits to millions of people in Asia using a payment system that is already widely used and trusted," Vaughan Smith, director of business and corporate development at Facebook, said in a statement. "We're investing in the long-term future of Facebook Credits and we view this agreement as a major opportunity to broaden the availability of a simple, unified currency that can be used in games and applications across Facebook."
Facebook Credits can be used to purchase more than 150 applications on Facebook. An alpha test of the system started in May 2009, and it moved into the beta phase earlier this year, adding major developers like Crowdstar, Playdom, Playfish, RockYou, 6waves, and Zynga. In February, Facebook added the ability to purchase Credits via PayPal."
3.Hackers Target Malaysian Government Sites (PC Magazine)
" Chloe Albanesius – PC Magazine A number of Malaysian government Web sites fell prey to cyber attacks Wednesday night in a coordinated effort possibly organized by members of the clandestine Web group, Anonymous. Ninety-one Web sites were attacked starting at 11:30pm local time, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission told Bloomberg. Seventy-six have since come back onlineContinued here:
Chloe Albanesius – PC Magazine
A number of Malaysian government Web sites fell prey to cyber attacks Wednesday night in a coordinated effort possibly organized by members of the clandestine Web group, Anonymous.
Ninety-one Web sites were attacked starting at 11:30pm local time, the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission told Bloomberg. Seventy-six have since come back online.
Earlier this week, an image from Anonymous circulated, calling on supporters to attack malaysia.gov.my on June 15 at 7:30pm GMT.
In a YouTube video (below) posted on June 14, Anonymous criticized Malaysian government officials for their censorship of the Web.
“We have seen the censorship taken by the Malaysian government, blocking sites like The Pirate Bay, and WikiLeaks,” according to a voice in the video, which was set to music from the movie Inception. “Malaysia is one of the world’s strictest governments, even blocking out movies, and television shows. These acts of censorship are inexcusable. You are taking away a basic human right. The Internet is here for freedom, without fear of government interference.”
The video went on to warn Malaysian officials that “this is a sign, a warning, and an opportunity to listen to ideas above your own.”
“Now we will wash your corruption away so be prepared. Take this as a favour,” the group concluded.
Malaysia, however, has not been mentioned on the AnonOps Twitter feed or blog. Most recently, those sites have named Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke as the next Anonymous target. Anonymous, however, is a rather splintered group. If you say you are a member of Anonymous, you are a member of Anonymous, making the group difficult to track. Bloomberg reports that many of the Malaysia attacks came from unidentified local hackers, who set up a blog to share updates.
The fractured nature of Anonymous, however, hasn’t stopped some officials from crackdowns. Members of the group were arrested in Spain and Turkey this week over distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks similar to the ones that affected the Malaysia sites. "
4. MDeC follows up with Icon2 for developers
" KUALA LUMPUR: The custodian of the the MSC Malaysia initiative has launched a second integrated content development programme, to follow in the footsteps of the first which was completed last year.
Multimedia Development Corp (MDeC) said Icon2 - Integrated Content Development Programme 2 - is also aimed at equipping local developers with the skills and means to create world-class products.
Icon2 is an extension of Icon, a programme which was started in 2009 with the purpose of developing talent and content necessary to build up an innovative digital economy.
The 1Malaysia Hotlines app, developed with help from Icon, has been downloaded more than 50,000 times since its debut in 2010. It lists the hotlines of various local businesses and organisations; from fast food to emergency services.
MDeC said Icon2 will focus more on the creative and technical aspects of digital content development.
It has set its sights on digital content that will boost areas such as "social technopreneurship" - i.e. the use of social networks to make improvements in people's lives - location-based services and medical services.
Icon2 has been allocated RM5mil in funding.
This will be spread across three categories:
• ICONdap, a funding service for online- and mobile-content developers;
• ICONapps, a platform to help budding Android and iOS application developers break into in the industry; and,
• ICONex, a cost-effective high-bandwidth hosting capability for Malaysian individuals and businesses which do not have the means to fund or manage their high-bandwidth content online.
Icon2 candidates will also have mentors and trainers to guide them towards realising their ideas and goals.
Recognition
MDeC chief executive Datuk Badlisham Ghazali said each selected developer under the ICONapps category will need to pay RM500 in commitment fees, and will be given advanced training courses to create its app.
Once the app is posted online, the RM500 will be refunded to the developer, along with an RM10,000 reimbursement for development costs that were spent.
"This is so that developers will see their idea through from beginning to end. In the past, many ideas were left unrealised for many reasons. When this happened, those who would have benefited from these ideas were left empty handed," he said.
Under ICONdap, developers would receive up to RM20,000 through a milestone reimbursement model.
"The Icon platform is playing a key role in transforming Malaysia from a mainly content-consuming nation into one that generates content," Badlisham said.
According to him, 80% of the content consumed in Malaysia comes from abroad and ranges from videogames to navigation maps.
"However, the apps developed by locals are not one of the high-revenue earners. We need to recognise these talents and give them the opportunity to improve," Badlisham said.
MDeC has started calling for proposals. Shortlisted candidates will have to pitch their applications to a panel of judges who will then select the most suitable apps.
Successful candidates will be notified by September."
news from it news
5. DiGi and Sony Ericsson in tie-up
" KUALA LUMPUR: DiGi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd (DiGi) has joint forces with Sony Ericsson to offer the W8 Walkman phone in metallic red for DiGi customers.
DiGi postpaid customers can purchase the phone for RM99 when they subscribe to the DG Smart Plan 68 for 24 months. The retail price of the W8 Walkman phone is RM799.
As for prepaid customers, they will receive a free DiGi prepaid starter worth RM16.80 with RM8 pre-loaded talktime when they purchase the phone at RM799. They will also get a reload card of RM50 with the package.
For both postpaid and prepaid plans, the W8 Walkman comes pre-loaded with the DiGiMusic Play (music download application) with a one-year free subscription. Customers will also receive a limited edition MS450 portable stereo speakers, MP3 ringtones, wallpapers and CallerTunes vouchers.
The company said the W8 Walkman phone, which runs on Android, is designed for music lovers who enjoy multimedia entertainment in a sleek and compact design.
The W8, which comes with 3in screen, allows quick and easy access to playlists through the Walkman widget on the home screen. The user interface can be customised for one-touch access to the user's favourite applications. Other features include a 3.2-megapixel camera, video recording functionality and Internet access via 3G and WiFi. "
www.digi.com.my
www.sonyericsson.com
By SUBASHINI SELVARATNAM
bytz@thestar.com.my
5 ARTICLES ON ISSUES OF INTERNATIONAL TECHNOLOGY FROM INTERNATONAL SOURCES
1. Yes, even a mouse can infect your network
" 'Trojan mouse' was just a hint -- almost any hardware device that can be plugged into a computer can compromise its security.
Much of the computer security blogosphere was abuzz last week over NetraGard's clever hack of a client's network using a specially modified Logitech mouse USB mouse. The mouse contained firmware code that automatically launched when the socially engineered user plugged it in to his or her computer. The attack code simply dialed home to let NetraGard know it had been successful in penetrating the victim's network. Victory and success!Many readers were unaware that hardware, especially a mouse, could be used to deliver auto-launching exploit code. But for others, this doesn't come as a surprise.
[ Master your security with InfoWorld's interactive Security iGuide. | Stay up to date on the latest security developments with InfoWorld's Security Central newsletter. | Get a dose of daily computer security news by following Roger Grimes on Twitter. ]
I developed my first USB virus nearly 7 years ago, when I was working for Foundstone. I figured out I could use hidden desktop.ini files to autolaunch any contained executable. It bypassed autorun- and Autoplay-blocking defense mechanisms. I had discovered that I could do this on a USB key, and my coworker at the time, Aaron Higbee, quickly moved my exploit to USB devices.
In short order, we had built a digital-camera roaming worm as a demo. It was a sweet day for discovery, although we both blew off the real work we'd been hired to do. Luckily, Foundstone was supportive of our efforts and told us to focus on further USB exploits. Ultimately, I was incredibly surprised to see, even heading into this year, USB-infecting vectors remain a major threat (although Microsoft's new default treatment of autorun and Autoplay has significantly diminished that risk).
IT security admins must understand that a computer can be compromised by almost any hardware device plugged into it. Hardware is hardware -- the instructions coded into it and its firmware takes precedence over software. When we talk trust boundaries in computer security, you always have to remember the hardware boundary must be discussed and defended. If I, as the attacker, can convince a victim to plug in some sort of hardware or if I plug it in myself, then it is, for all intense purposes, game over. If I can plug something into your USB, DMA, FireWire, and now mouse port, I'll likely succeed in carrying off a malicious action.
Heck, it might be game over if all the attacker does is remove existing hardware. Two years ago, disk encryption vendors were re-alerted to the fact that their software disk encryption programs could be circumvented by malicious hackers freezing the RAM memory and analyzing its stored contents on another computer. A different researcher proved he could retrieve encryption keys stored deeply inside the world's specialized Trusted Platform Module encryption chips.
This isn't news. Thousands of people around the world have known this for a very long time. You shouldn't be any more worried about it today than you've been over the past two decades -- at least until these sorts of vectors start to become popularly exploited. Most bad actors don't need physical access to your machine for exploitative actions. The fake antivirus programs and malicious email links are still working quite well and infecting tens of millions of users.
If you are worried that your assets are at higher risk of physical attack, let this column be your wake-up call and show it to management.
You can take steps to protect yourself. End-user education is always worth trying. Let your end-users know that anything they plug into their computer could launch malicious code. That free USB key at the conference show? They shouldn't plug it in, nor should they attach free mice, free keyboards, or whatever if they are at elevated risk of physical attack.
System configurators can disable unneeded ports in the system's BIOS or within the controlling operating system. Disabling in the BIOS is better; that way, OS-boot-around attacks can't succeed. Unfortunately, you can't disable every port. Make sure all the normal antimalware and computer security defenses are enabled. You may not stop the initial compromise, but you might be able to detect or stop the subsequent actions.
And until better solutions are discovered, you will have to live with some amount of physical risk.
The reality is that most of us are facing far more malicious risk from far less sophisticated attacks. Good computer security defense is about evaluating your current threats and knowing which ones to concentrate on."
2. 5 tips for SharePoint 2010 deployment and configuration
"Sixty-two percent of companies we recently surveyed said that SharePoint is going to be one of their top five business applications in the next two years," says Brian Babineau, vice president of research and analyst services at Enterprise Strategy Group. As an administrator or IT decision maker, how ready are you to begin working with SharePoint within your environment?Whereas previous versions of SharePoint have focused on intranets, SharePoint 2010 is stable enough and polished enough for both intranet and Internet sites. Deploying such sites takes a bit more knowledge of a diverse set of Microsoft technologies, including Windows Server 2008 R2, .Net, IIS, SQL, and SharePoint. Here are five tips to help you get started.
[ Stay abreast of key Microsoft technologies in InfoWorld's Technology: Microsoft newsletter. ]
SharePoint 2010 tip 1: Prerequisites
SharePoint servers have a set of prerequisites that you need to have installed first on any server you want to run SharPoint. These include the Microsoft Filter Pack 2.0, the Sync Framework Runtime 1.0, and various hotfixes. The prerequisites are typically installed through an Internet connection your server will most likely have.
However, there are times when that server may not have an outside connection to the Internet or you may simply want to make the install more convenient for multiple servers. In those cases, you can download the prerequisites to a network share, and if you pack the files into an ISO, they can be mounted easily.
When you have the prequesite files together, look at the PrerequisitesInstaller.exe utility on the SharePoint DVD and simply run it with the
/? flag to get the various command-line options.SharePoint 2010 tip 2: InstallationInstalling SharePoint is complicated, but it's definitely improved since SharePoint 2007, thanks to an easy-to-use wizard that does most of the installation work. However, if you've ever seen the SQL-side nightmare that is left behind after the Farm Configuration Wizard completes, you know that the GUID extensions appended to all the databases created in SQL make for quite a mess.
CodePlex has provided the AutoSPInstaller tool to both help make the overall SharePoint install even easier than it already is and provide for much nicer SQL database names than Microsoft's tool does.
SharePoint 2010 tip 3: UpgradeIf you are upgrading rather than doing a fresh install, you have different options. I've detailed the upgrade decisions and process in an earlier InfoWorld post, but the short of it is that you can perform an in-place upgrade, do a database-attach upgrade, or go with a hybrid approach. Before you decide or your plan, you might want to run a Microsoft-provided tool called the pre-upgrade checker. The tool reports back on the status of your environment and the SharePoint sites within that environment, as well as on its upgrade readiness, alternate access mapping settings, installed elements, unsupported customizations, orphaned objects, valid configuration settings, and database requirements.
To run the tool, you have to first make sure SharePoint 2007 is upgraded to SP2. Then you navigate through an administrative command prompt to the
%COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\bin, type stsadm.exe -o preupgradecheck, and read the results.SharePoint 2010 tip 4: Extending the Web application for alternate access mappingsOne cool feature of SharePoint 2010 is its ability to provide different URLs to access the same site or site collection. This is done through a feature called Alternate Access Mappings. AAMs are great for when you want to load balance SharePoint or make it work with reverse proxies like Forefront TMG. They're also well-suited for providing access to the same sites through different authentication methods.
However, to accomplish this, you need to perform a task called extending (or cloning) your Web application. By extending the Web application, you can provide different authentication methods through five separate zones (Default, Intranet, Internet, Extranet, and Custom) with different URLs. This is incredibly helpful if you have a site that is, for example, aimed at both intranet and extranet users, but you want to provide only HTTP access for intranet users and deploy claims-based authentication for extranet users. By extending the Web application and establishing a new zone for extranet users, you can establish unique authentication and a unique URL for those users.
SharePoint 2010 tip 5: Achieving a 1:1 site collection/content database ratioIn SharePoint 2010, you'll find interesting scalability facts about content databases and site collections. For example, although you can place multiple site collections in a single content database within SQL, the typical size recommendation per site collection is 100GB, and 200GB is the recommended maximum size for a content database. That 200GB recommendation is not a cap: Content databases can grow, but for the sake of performance, Microsoft recommends the 200GB limit. However, 200GB goes quickly, so the wise move is to create additional content databases and move site collections into them so that you have a 1:1 ratio of site collection and content database.
I hope these tips point you in the right direction as you begin your journey in working with SharePoint."
3. Cheap, easy wireless network access for guests
The solution was both plug-and-play simple and dirt cheap. It's a portable wireless device called the Edimax 7206-APg, which I purchased from Newegg.com for $30. The Edimax is an 802.11g/b access point that can also act as a wireless LAN client -- aka "wireless station mode." With both an Ethernet port and an 802.11g/b interface, the Edimax serves as a bridge between the wired and wireless networks and brings connectivity to any visitor's computer without any configuration required.
[ Get expert networking how-to advice from InfoWorld's Networking Deep Dive PDF special report. | Keep up on the latest networking news with our Technology: Networking newsletter. ]
This device is unique in that its firmware allows it to be treated as if it were a client station -- that is, a laptop. Most wireless access points do not have this capability. All the user needs to do is plug in an Ethernet cable, and they have connectivity as if they were plugging into the wall.
After successfully testing this device with 15 laptops, we bought several for our various conference rooms. During the test, users were able to successfully VPN back to their home networks, surf the Internet, read email, and more. Now all of our guests enjoy zero-configuration connectivity. (We do have an additional layer of security in case the Edimax is lost or stolen: a Web portal that requires the user to enter a user name and password from a browser.)
The Edimax requires power via 110V AC adapter and Ethernet cable. This makes for awkward mobile work because a laptop user would need to find two 110V plugs: one for the laptop and one for the Edimax device. Maybe Edimax will offer a USB-powered version in the future. But where power outlets are easy to come by, this $30 device is very handy.
The Edimax has worked with every laptop we've tried -- Windows, Mac, Linux -- bringing wireless LAN access even to laptops without a wireless card. It's perfect for users who do not possess the technical ability to configure a wireless interface, or in situations where users do not have the necessary admin privileges to activate the wireless card in their machine."
" Marc Andreessen broke critical Web browser ground back in 1994, the Dark Dial-Up Ages, with Netscape Navigator, arguably the most influential Web browser (and, in some circles, best technology product) of all time. Navigator delivered previously unheard-of innovations, such as enabling Web pages to load on the fly, piece by piece, instead of making a user stare at a blank screen until every bit on the page had been received.
Fast-forward to November 2010. Andreessen has re-entered the Web browser fray with a new offering called RockMelt. Andreessen has once more started out with a solid open source code base foundation in Google Chrome (Netscape was built on Mosaic). But rather than providing a single pane for enhancing Web-page hopping, RockMelt joins Web browsing with instant sharing and collaboration, via tight integration with Facebook.
[ Also on InfoWorld: Oddly useful alternative browsers offer such advantages as 3-D searching, social networking, easy scriptability, and powerful page manipulation. See "Top 10 specialty browsers you may have missed." ]
The end result is pretty slick: A user who frequently spends time updating his or her Facebook status, sharing links, and chatting with Facebook friends will find a lot to like about RockMelt, which performs those tasks with click-drag-drop simplicity -- and without even having to be on a Facebook page. If you want to go anywhere on the Web and never leave Facebook behind, RockMelt is for you.
For the Facebook agnostic, RockMelt could be just as significant as a sign of what may be still to come: If the Chrome browser could be so cleverly integrated with a website that connects us with our friends, how about integrating it with a website that is central to our work? As I was using RockMelt, I couldn't help thinking how powerfully productive it would be if, instead of Facebook, it were integrated with Google Apps and Docs.
RockMelt follows in the footsteps of the various other specialty browsers such as Flock. RockMelt's UI is almost identical to Chrome's, with the same uncluttered navigation bar and minimal drop-down menus. One difference is a Share button, which you can click to instantly share the Web page you're viewing with your Facebook family. Additionally, there's a search box that simultaneously queries Google and Facebook as you enter text.
But the real innovation is the two sidebars, called Edges, that run vertically down either side of the browser window. The Apps Edge (on the right side of the screen) is for monitoring your favorite websites; the Friends Edge (on the left) provides ever-present access to your Facebook friends."
By Ted Samson
5. Maximize the performance of your monitoring system
" When your monitoring server is gathering SNMP and performance data from hundreds or thousands of devices across the network, it can use all the help it can get. Follow these tips for a scalable and snappy system.- Disk writes and reads are the top limitation of monitoring systems. Buy fast disks with large caches.
- Do not use RAID-5 on your monitoring system's disks. The update penalty is huge unless the number of disks is very large.
- Put databases on separate sets of disk spindles so that their reads and writes do not interfere with each other. Put your MySQL/PostgreSQL database on one set of physical disks, and your RRDtool performance data on another. And if it works within your budget, put the OS and application files on yet another set of physical disks.
- Also consider moving your MySQL/PostgreSQL and RRDtool databases to dedicated server hardware.
- Do not use LVM on your monitoring system's disks. It will slow disk access.
- Although monitoring systems are not terribly CPU intensive, you should load up your monitoring hardware with plenty of RAM -- as much as your budget will allow.
- Use of TCP protocols for performance data collection in a large environment can suck up resources on the server, and they are much slower than SNMP. Stick with SNMP for data collection wherever possible. Note that you should still feel free to poll TCP services on the monitored servers for service up/down status.
- Are you monitoring Windows machines? The native Microsoft SNMP agent doesn't give out enough information and has been known to have stability issues. WMI is slow compared to SNMP for data collection. Install SNMP Informant to get more stability and more useful information from your Windows infrastructure via SNMP.
- Only collect data on devices and interfaces that you really care about. You probably don't care about loopback interface stats, so don't collect them. Do you have devices with multiple interfaces? If you don't need performance data on some of those interfaces, then don't collect it. "
By High Mobley
No comments:
Post a Comment
0 people eat my apple