Technologies Update

China's Alibaba Q4 net profit falls 57 pct

2009-03-19T15:49:00.000+05:30

China's top e-commerce firm Alibaba said on Thursday fourth quarter net profit dropped 57 percent from the year-ago period, as rising marketing costs to counter falling global exports and imports squeezed margins.
Alibaba, whose online site connects traders of goods into and out of China, earned 199.4 million yuan or 3.94 cents per share in the October-December period, down from profits of 466 million yuan a year earlier and 308.6 million yuan in the third quarter.
The earnings result lagged an average net profit of 281 million yuan forecast by three analysts polled by Reuters.
Shares in Alibaba rose 3.8 percent on Thursday ahead of the results announcement. The stock lost 20.5 percent of its value in the fourth quarter of 2008, in line with the slide in Hong Kong's benchmark index in the same period.

::From Reuters.com::

HCL has got $350 million outsourcing deal with "Reader's Digest"

2009-03-18T19:24:00.000+05:30

HCL Technologies, a leading global IT solutions major, Monday announced a $350-million deal from Reader's Digest spread over seven years to provide a wide range of outsourcing services.
The scope of the deal with Reader's Digest Association includes development of software applications, infrastructure support, network security, data storage, disaster recovery and support for data centres, a company statement said.
These solutions will be enabled through an integrated helpdesk in 14 languages - Portuguese, French, Russian, Czech, Spanish, Polish, Finnish, German, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Chinese, Romanian, Slovak and Turkish.
HCL will support such services across 45 countries through its global delivery locations in Poland, the US and India, supported by a worldwide onsite support network.
The $5 billion HCL group, founded in 1976 and among the early entrants in the country's information technology industry, comprises two companies listed on India bourses - HCL Technologies and HCL Infosystems.
Its team comprises over 59,000 professionals in some 20 countries who work with several leading Fortune 1000 firms, including leading IT and Technology firms, the company said.
Headquartered at Pleasantville, New York, Reader's Digest Association publishes 92 magazines, including 50 editions of Reader's Digest - touted as the world's largest-circulation magazine.
It also operates 65 branded websites to generate 18 million unique visitors per month and sells some 68 million books, music and video products across the world each year.

Yahoo! has new location application - Friends on Fire

2009-03-18T19:17:00.000+05:30

Yahoo, the number two search engine has released “Friends on Fire”, an application that lets Facebook members share their physical location with those on their list of friends.
It uses Yahoo's Fire Eagle technology, a service that can store and share your location with authorized applications. Fire Eagle is an intermediary and has privacy issues. It also relies on other services to tell it where you are and on other services to do something useful with that location data.Through the advances in mobile communications and the mainstream embrace of social networking the online service are becoming popular.
Yahoo described the Fire Eagle technology as a switchboard with which users can manage and share their geographic location with varying degrees of detail and access controls. Currently, about 70 applications use the Fire Eagle technology. The company also released a Fire Eagle 'updater' for Firefox by which users can update their location information within the browser's interface.
Last month, Google launched Google Latitude which is a location-aware mobile application. It allows a mobile phone user to allow certain other people on his or her Gmail contact list to track where he or she is.

Satyam wins biz worth $250 mn in seven weeks

2009-02-24T21:02:00.000+05:30

Satyam Computer Services limited, an IT service provider, today announced that it had won a new business of over $250 million in last seven weeks.

Kiran Karnik, chairman of the Board, said, " The board is satisfied with the progress of the company's stabilization program and appreciated the sustained efforts of Satyamites that has helped the company's revival on a fast track mode."

A.S.Murthy, chief executive officer, Satyam, said, " The indomitable spirit of Satyamites has helped us to win new purchase orders and work extension totaling to over $250 million since Jan 7, 2009. The recent successes include a single order of $50 million and multiple orders from across the industry verticals, technologies and geographies, reflecting an all round positive trend."

He added that more than half of this value comes from new POs that reinforces the confidence that customers have been sharing with them in their discussions.

Commenting on the use of funds, Manoharan, director, stated, " We are using the bank funding in a controlled and phased manner to meet immediate and near term operating requirements, including payments to vendors. The good news is that we are receiving unsolicited offers from banks for funding."

The board has recommended to the ministry of corporate affairs for the removal of Price Waterhouse as the statutory auditors of the company. PW has tendered its resignation to act as Statutory auditors of the company. The company is now intending to appoint new statutory auditors, the release said.

Wikipedia page censored for 'child abuse' image

2008-12-08T16:38:00.000+05:30

The Internet providers in the UK have blocked a page of Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, following accusations that the site was carrying 'potentially illegal' images of child pornography.
The article that was blacklisted by Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), Britain's de facto online watchdog, is about a 1976 album 'Virgin Killer' by German rock band The Scorpions.
What irked the authorities was the image of the record's controversial cover - which featured a prepubescent naked girl with her genitals obscured by a crack in the camera lens.
A statement for IWF said that the organization had received a report claiming the page was pornographic through its website, and that after a review the decision was made that the page was 'potentially illegal'.
"As with all child abuse reports received by our Hotline analysts, the image was assessed according to the UK Sentencing Guidelines Council," it said.
Justifying its decision to blacklist the article, IWF said the content was considered to be a potentially illegal indecent image of a child under the age of 18.
Jay Walsh, a spokesman for the Wikimedia Foundation, which manages the encyclopedia, said the removal of the page also appeared to have stopped thousands of UK users from editing articles on Wikipedia, which allows readers to self-edit its pages.
Even at the time of putting it online, the page had reportedly been the subject of debate among Wikipedia editors as to whether the original cover image should be used.
The decision by the UK Internet providers to block the page on allegations of containing pornography has annoyed many users of the popular site.
The censoring system that uses the blacklist, known as Cleanfeed, was first launched by BT in 2004 and later Britain's main Internet providers also began using it. The IWF runs the blacklist, largely focusing on images of child abuse.
How do you see this development? Can child abuse over the Net be prevented this way?

Notebook PC weakness seen hurting chipmakers

2008-12-08T16:37:00.001+05:30

The computer notebook segment is showing signs of serious weakening as the global economy slows and the ill effects will start to be felt by chipmakers, analysts said Wednesday.
Notebook manufacturers, distributors and component suppliers in the U.S. and Asia are reporting weak demand and order cancellations. Meanwhile, analysts said, the continued financial turmoil is pushing those who are buying towards low-end notebooks and netbooks, which will ultimately impact chipmakers' margins.
"Clearly the economic slowdown is spreading to notebooks and we're seeing it in two ways," said JoAnne Feeney, a senior chip analyst with FTN Midwest Securities. "One is in lower unit shipments, but also a mixed shift to cheaper units. And that's going to filter down through the semiconductor world."
Notebook sales have become more critical to the health of chipmakers, as they make up a larger and larger portion of PC sales every year.
Feeney now expects fourth-quarter shipments of semiconductors for notebooks to fall 5 percent to 10 percent from the previous quarter, compared with a previous forecast for an increase of 10 percent to 15 percent.
She expects Intel Corp, the world's biggest chipmaker, to cut prices to compete with rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc as demand shifts to lower-cost notebooks.
Robert W. Baird senior analyst Tristan Gerra cut his 2008 earnings forecast for Intel to $1.08 a share from $1.10 and lowered his 2009 outlook to 56 cents from 85 cents, citing weakness in notebooks. The average analyst estimate for 2008 is $1.11 and for 2009 is 86 cents, according to Reuters Estimates.
"Our checks indicate notebook demand trends have further deteriorated since Intel reduced its 4Q guidance," Gerra wrote in a research note.
He said consumer demand appears to be the main weak spot.
ThinkEquity analyst Vijay Rakesh said checks with Taiwanese notebook manufacturers point to a 20 percent to 25 percent fourth-quarter sequential decline in notebook shipments.
He also sees more and more customers flocking to sub-$300 netbooks. He calls netbooks a "big double-whammy. They're lower margin, it's like Frankenstein. You created it, you hate it but you cannot kill it because that's what selling."

Growth of ads in video games still far away

2008-12-08T15:15:00.000+05:30

For years, experts have been saying that advertising embedded in video games will someday become a big business. It appears that someday is still far off.
Executives at the Reuters Media Summit said this week that the tough economy will likely force companies and advertisers to look for new ways to reach consumers.
That could mean more branding of objects, prizes and billboards embedded within interactive video games -- a thriving industry that continues to grow even as consumers hunker down and cut spending on other luxuries. The concept is similar to advertisers paying for "product placement" in Hollywood movies.
Nonetheless, the video game ad medium is unlikely to make more than a blip on the $150 billion U.S. advertising industry in 2009.
Shane Kim, vice president of strategy and business development for Microsoft Corp's gaming business -- which includes the popular Xbox 360 game console -- said that so far, advertising is not a big part of the business mix.
"In the next six to 12 months as we go through this economic period, it probably won't have a big material impact on us or on the industry, frankly," he said.
Advertisements have been seen in games for more than a decade, and the medium received a public-relations boost in October when a billboard featuring a message from then-presidential candidate Barack Obama turned up in the driving game "Burnout Paradise."
Projected growth estimates for in-game advertising vary, with several experts suggesting that ad spending there will top $100 million this year, and grow to around $1 billion in 2011.
Strauss Zelnick, executive chairman of Take-Two Interactive Inc, maker of the hit "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, said that one problem lies in the chance that recognizing an ad in a game is distracting.
Advertising that truly captures the attention of the consumer is going to take that user "out of the entertainment experience," Zelnick said.
"I have been saying ever since we took over Take Two that I thought in-game advertising was a very limited opportunity that applied mostly to the sports business, and I remain of that belief," he said. "It's a detail. It exists, it can be profitable, we'd be happy to have it. It's just not going to move the dial."
The exception? Sports, since branding and ads are already well-meshed with everything from soccer matches to the names of baseball stadiums themselves.
Nick Brien, chief executive of Mediabrands, a top executive of advertising giant Interpublic Group, said that because of growth prospects in the video game business -- which some analysts see expanding by 20 percent in 2009 -- that "someday" of significant growth will indeed come.
"For the young male audience and autos and leisure, it's a huge space, because you are looking at gaming trends that are continuing to lift," he said. "It's not huge today but in-gaming technology is becoming much more sophisticated ... and is very measurable and increasingly linked to online activities."
"Right now it's still niche, but they are building," he added. "Anything that's building from scratch is always facing a tough time."

Opera unveils alpha version of Opera 10

2008-12-06T16:45:00.000+05:30

This release gives people a taste of Opera's new rendering engine, Opera Presto 2.2, the foundation of all future Opera 10 products. Opera Presto 2.2 offers approximately a 30-percent-faster browsing experience as compared to Opera Presto 2.1, introduced in Opera 9.5 in June 2008.
Opera has fine-tuned its standards support and, as a result, Opera 10 alpha achieves an Acid3 100/100 Test score. This version also provides Web developers with a whole range of new technologies for building better Web sites.
Other new features in Opera 10 alpha include spell-checking as you type, as well as auto-updating to the latest versions as they become available. Opera Mail also has added support for HTML formatting of e-mails.
"My favorite development in this release is the support for new Web technologies, which allows people to explore new ways of using the Internet," says Johan Borg, vice president of Consumer Engineering, Opera Software. "Our 100/100 Acid3 Test score is only a first indication of the impact these new Web technologies will have. We look forward to your feedback on Opera 10."

Wipro launches application portal for excise dept

2008-12-06T16:44:00.000+05:30

Wipro Infotech, the India and Middle East IT business of Wipro Ltd., announced the launch of one of the most prestigious automation projects for the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).
The entire Central Excise and Service Tax functionalities across India will be automated under this application. The application portal, ACES (Automation of Central Excise and Service Tax), was launched by Anand Sankaran, chief executive, Wipro Infotech.
This application launch is currently for Assesses for large tax payer unit [LTU] Bengaluru and will subsequently be launched for all jurisdiction of India for the manufacturers, dealers and service providers. This mission critical system, once goes live, will act as the backbone of the government's IT infrastructure.
The Central Excise Department functioning under the Central Board of Excise and Customs, Ministry of Finance is entrusted with the job of collection of central excise duties on all goods manufactured or produced within India and the collection of service tax on specified services.
Presently, the assesses submit documents, including returns, registration, and others on paper. These processes would be automated, providing advantages to the assesses and departmental users alike.
Anand Sankaran, chief executive, Wipro Infotech said, "ACES is one of the most ambitious projects undertaken by the Government of India and we are proud to be a part of this mega project. Wipro is committed in ensuring CBEC the scalability and flexibility to implement and execute the new processes with great agility".

Refund of licence fee to RCom justified: Ministry

2008-12-06T16:42:00.000+05:30

India's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is finding it difficult to escape controversies it seems.
After the Swan Telecom Unitech controversy in the backdrop of the 2G Spectrum allocation, now it is the refund to Reliance Communications Ltd on surrendering its dual technology approval in six circles that has trapped the ministry.
It said in a statement today that there was no irregularity in making refund to Reliance Communications Ltd on surrendering its dual technology approval in six circles. The ministry said the reports in this regard published recently in some sections of the media are not correct.
There were reports that the government has deviated from its stance in dealing with such instances in the past, where the where the DoT had refused to pay telecom operators upon surrendering operating licenses.
According to the ministry, Reliance Communications Ltd were given in-principle approval in October 2007 for usage of dual technology spectrum (GSM in addition to CDMA) in 20 service areas.
Accordingly RCL paid Rs 1651.5701 crore towards requisite fee for dual technology permission in 20 service areas.
However, according to the ministry, it was found that out of these 20 service areas in six of the service areas (Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, West Bengal and Kolkata) Reliance Telecom Ltd. (RTL), a wholly owned subsidiary of RCL, also hold UAS licences (with GSM spectrum allocated) which were permitted to hold two such licences in these six areas as per Government Policy in 2003 for migration of Cellular and Basic service operators to Unified Access Service Regime.
According to the ministry, the Government considered it desirable not to allocate GSM technology spectrum in these six service areas and DOT amended UAS licences of RCL for 14 service areas only.
The licenses of RCL were not amended in spite of payment of requisite entry fees which would have otherwise enabled them to get GSM spectrum under two group companies in these six service areas, thus amounting to hoarding of spectrum, the ministry statement explained.
Since Government has backed out from its commitment to grant dual technology spectrum in these service areas, it was considered appropriate and therefore so decided to refund requisite fee of about Rs.112 crore paid by RCL for these six service areas.
Justifying this decision, the ministry said it is incorrect to make any comparison of the present case with the case of Bharti Airtel in 2004 when they surrendered one of the two operating licenses (one for basic service and one for cellular service) held by them after migration to Unified Access Service Regime.
The present case is also not comparable to the case of Idea and Spice who hold valid telecom access licenses on whom the merger guideline of licenses in a service area will apply, according to telecom ministry.
The ministry had recently come under fire for the manner in which the 2G Spectrum was allocated. It was alleged that the decision to allow 2G Spectrum on 'first come first served' had cost huge loss to the government.

Airwide unveils equipment identity register soln

2008-12-06T11:15:00.000+05:30

Airwide Solutions, a provider of next-generation mobile messaging and mobile internet infrastructure, applications and solutions, announced the launch of AirGuard EIR solution during the GSMA Mobile Asia Congress.
In the interest of national security, the Department of Telecommunications (DOT) issued a directive that telecom companies must block calls made from handsets which do not have valid and traceable equipment identity numbers or International Mobile Equipment Identification (IMEI) number. Moreover, the Indian government issued directive for installation of equipment identity register (EIR) technology wiithin three-month timeframe.
AirGuard EIR from Airwide Solutions will help operators worldwide control the increasing threat of fraudulent and untraceable mobile phone activity. AirGuard EIR is unique in the industry because it layers the value-added benefit of enhanced anti-fraud capabilities with effective handset anti-theft which enables operators to prevent stolen or fraudulent handsets from working on their network within seconds of detection.
Mark Thong, regional vice president, Airwide Solutions, said: "There is a reason that AirGuard EIR is the world's leading equipment identity eegister, and our experience in some of the most demanding operator environments will be invaluable in helping operators in India quickly comply with the Indian DOT's mandate. Airwide has well over a decade's worth of experience with EIR technology and long term relationships with global channel partners -- together we can streamline the process of helping operators get up and running in compliance with government specifications quickly and seamlessly."
Due to their untraceable nature, phones that are missing or have invalid IMEI's are often used in criminal activities that could threaten national security and place subscribers at risk. AirGuard EIR has been used successfully worldwide to comply with government requirements for the implementation of EIR technology, and to battle handset theft and fraud on operator networks.
In addition, AirGuard EIR has the added benefit of helping operators to deal with the issues of handset theft and mobile fraud.
According to the Communications Fraud Control Association, fraud losses range from $54.4 billion to $60 billion a year, and this cost is in addition to the negative impact fraud can have on the use of new services and the intangible cost of damage to the mobile operator's brand.
By allowing operators to bar phones that are associated with mobile fraud and by detecting SIM and handset cloning, AirGuard EIR can be a powerful tool for operators in fighting fraud potentially threatening activities using an operator's network.

88pc of IT, finance pros feel right s/w systems key

2008-12-06T11:14:00.001+05:30

The findings of a survey by document management software company, Version One (www.versionone.co.uk), has revealed that 88 percent of senior finance and IT professionals believe it is important to have the right software systems in place if businesses are to prosper in the current economic climate. Sixty percent of these stated that having the right software systems is "vital". Version One carried out the research with 160 senior finance and IT professionals (finance directors, financial controllers and IT managers) across a range of public and private sector organisations.
Of the remaining 12 percent of respondents, 10 percent believe it is "fairly important" to have the right software systems in place whilst the remaining 2 percent stated they did not know whether software systems were important to helping a business prosper or not. One of the "don't know" respondents, a financial controller from a food manufacturing company, said, "The key to our business is customer contact, not how we operate internally".
The survey also highlights a number of measures that organisations have introduced to ensure they succeed in the current climate. These range from an increased focus on cash collection, cutting overheads and capital expenditure to 'best value' procurement.
Lynne Munns, General Manager of Version One, says: "This research demonstrates that organisations recognise how vital it is to have the right software systems in place to enable them to not only survive during these turbulent times but also to flourish. Software systems such as document management enable organisations to streamline their processes, cut costs and have greater financial transparency which are obviously key in the current climate. Organisations that fail to carefully consider their software needs are often running an inefficient and wasteful operation which can prove particularly damaging during challenging economic times."
Thirty-seven percent of those surveyed stated that they are interested in implementing document management technology, in some part, due to the current market conditions, highlighting that the economic climate is now a key driver behind organisations' software procurement needs.
Munns comments, "It's understandable that businesses are considering document management in part due to the economic downturn as these systems deliver significant cost and time savings whilst improving cash flow, enabling a lean and efficiently-run operation."
In total, 62 percent of the survey's 160 respondents feel that if UK businesses are to flourish at this time, they need to streamline their internal processes AND invest in the right software systems. About 23 percent stated that improving internal processes alone would be sufficient, while 7 percent thought that just investing in software systems is the answer. The remaining 8 percent put forward some alternative suggestions to how organisations can prosper in the current climate. These include "reducing staff overheads", "investing in training" and "improving customer satisfaction levels".

Koobface virus targets Facebook

2008-12-06T11:10:00.001+05:30

Facebook's 120 million users are being targeted by a virus dubbed "Koobface" that uses the social network's messaging system to infect PCs, then tries to gather sensitive information such as credit card numbers.
It is the latest attack by hackers increasingly looking to prey on users of social networking sites.
"A few other viruses have tried to use Facebook in similar ways to propagate themselves," Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said in an e-mail. He said a "very small percentage of users" had been affected by these viruses.
"It is on the rise, relative to other threats like e-mails," said Craig Schmugar, a researcher with McAfee Inc.
Koobface spreads by sending notes to friends of someone whose PC have been infected.
The messages, with subject headers like, "You look just awesome in this new movie," direct recipients to a website where they are asked to download what it claims is an update of Adobe Systems Inc's Flash player.
If they download the software, users end up with an infected computer, which then takes users to contaminated sites when they try to use search engines from Google, Yahoo, MSN and Live.com, according McAfee.
McAfee warned in a blog entry on Wednesday that its researchers had discovered that Koobface was making the rounds on Facebook.
Facebook requires senders of messages within the network to be members and hides user data from people who do not have accounts, said Chris Boyd, a researcher with FaceTime Security Labs.
Because of that, users tend to be far less suspicious of messages they receive in the network.
"People tend to let their guard down. They think you've got to log in with an account, so there is no way that worms and other viruses could infect them," Boyd said.
Social network MySpace, owned by News Corp, was hit by a version of Koobface in August and used security technology to eradicate it, according to a company spokeswoman.
The virus has not cropped up since then, she said.
Privately held Facebook has told members to delete contaminated e-mails and has posted directions at http://www.facebook.com/security on how to clean infected computers.
Richard Larmer, chief executive of RLM Public Relations in New York, said he threw out his PC after it became infected by Koobface, which downloaded malicious software onto his PC.
"It was really bad. It destroyed my computer," he said.
McAfee has not yet identified the perpetrators behind Koobface, who are improving the malicious software behind the virus in a bid to outsmart security at Facebook and MySpace.
"The people behind it are updating it, refining it, adding new functionalities," said McAfee's Schmugar.

TN is India's best e-governed state: IDC-DQ study

2008-12-06T11:09:00.000+05:30

The South Indian States of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have emerged among the top 5 e-governed states in India in 2008-09 as per findings of the 5th IDC India study conducted for CyberMedia's flagship fortnightly Dataquest.
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have climbed three spots each over last year's ranking, to emerge as the No 1 and No. 5 respectively, said a press release. Himachal Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana have secured No 2, 3 and 4 positions respectively.
Delhi has slipped two ranks from No. 1 last year and Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have climbed up 5 and 14 places respectively.
The results of the survey to be published in the December 15 issue of Dataquest are based on a two-level survey that assesses every State's IT vision, implementation plan and ease of use of services. It also takes into consideration IT allocation for new projects in 2007-08, implementation of new projects, and user satisfaction among 3,150 citizens and businesses.
While the usual probables like Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi continued to feature in the top 10, it was the performance of Haryana that requires special mention, said the release.
The state government seems to have taken the e-governance agenda seriously as the state is ranked high on the e-readiness index indicating that citizens are ready to enter the e-governance era.
Like previous years, this year too the top performing states of last year saw a dip in rankings confirming that continuous retention of Service Quality and Ease of Interaction are the two vital factors behind satisfaction of e-governance initiatives in certain states.
Commenting on the findings of the 5th Dataquest-IDC best e-Governed states survey2008-09, Prasanto K Roy, chief editor, Dataquest said, "E-gov has a long way to go in India. There are good projects, but there's too much duplication of good work in the Government."
He opined that Central departments are duplicating work by building multiple citizen databases - Census, Voter IDs, PAN records, Food & Civil Supplies - and wasting thousands of crore. "And yet they cannot tap on to a common view of the 'customer', the citizen," he said.
The IDC-Dataquest study notes that despite all efforts to ensure that government services reach the common man, there has been a marginal decline in citizen satisfaction across categories. While the overall citizen satisfaction declined from 64.8 to 63.6, individual services like Employment Exchange and Police and Security showed a decline of 10 per cent and 9 per cent respectively.
In terms of overall citizen satisfaction, Tamil Nadu emerged as the front-runner, closely followed by Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. However, Delhi at # 4 is surprising, as the state has accomplished full score in the e-readiness index.
The study added that in Delhi, the sky-high expectations of the people are a cause of concern. But Haryana has taken a lead over other states when it comes to satisfying its citizens as the survey has revealed that citizens of Haryana are the most satisfied across all parameters.
One cannot ignore the sterling performance of Chhattisgarh across various parameters, particularly education, where it has been ranked # 1 even surging ahead of Delhi, said the release.
The citizens of Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Assam are the most satisfied with Transport/RTO services. The people of Haryana also seem to be contented with the quality of services being offered as the state scores high in categories like Income Tax, Healthcare, Education and, of course, employment exchange.
And the state has been ranked #3 in terms of e-readiness. In terms of IT spending per capita the state ranks #5 much above the so-called IT savvy states like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. West Bengal, Jharkhand and Bihar make up for the worst 3 in terms of e-Governance, the survey said.

Infosys to freeze new hiring as growth slows

2008-12-05T12:32:00.000+05:30

Infosys Technologies Ltd will freeze recruitment after meeting this fiscal year's target of hiring 25,000 staff, a telling sign the global downturn is hitting India's $52 billion outsourcing sector.
India's second largest software services firm however has no plans to cut jobs and is sticking with its third quarter outlook, CEO Kris Gopalakrishnan told reporters.
He said the outsourcing sector's growth rate would halve next year as some customers delay orders."Last year the IT industry grew more than 30 percent, this year it is looking at somewhere in the region of 15 percent," Gopalakrishnan said.
India's export-driven IT sector, used to a scorching pace of growth, has been hit by the financial crisis and recession in the United States, which contributes more than half their revenue.
In the last few years, the outsourcing industry has created tens of thousands of jobs, mainly attracting young workers, as global companies look to trim labour costs.
Infosys hired 16,000-17,000 employees in the first half of the fiscal year that began in April and would honour commitments to 6,000 under training, Gopalakrishnan said.
Infosys, which counts Goldman Sachs and Philips Electronics among its clients, cut its full-year dollar revenue outlook in October due to the worsening global downturn.
Gopalakrishnan said on Thursday the company would freeze fresh recruitment, apart from meeting specific skill needs.
"We will have to look at controlling our cost, controlling our expenses making sure that we run an optimized business. We will have to look at what are things we need to do in order to prepare ourselves for the recovery."
"Growth is coming more and more from emerging markets so these are the things we need to prepare ourselves. We should not lose momentum in this slowdown," he said.
But Infosys still expects its strong client base and a weakening rupee to help it meet a forecast for December quarter earnings of $0.57 a share. The rupee has fallen nearly six percent so far this quarter against the dollar.
"Infosys is seeing further degradation of the demand environment, with headwinds from leadership changes at customers, a shrinking large deal pipeline.... Pricing pressure has emerged," CLSA Asia-Pacific said in a report this week.
By 0845 GMT, Infosys shares were up 2 percent in a Mumbai market, but outperforming a 4 percent gain in the broader Mumbai market. Infosys shares have fallen 33 percent so far this year.

Former Yahoo executive to head Microsoft OSG

2008-12-05T12:30:00.000+05:30

REDMOND, WASHINGTON: Though the deal with Yahoo did not work out, software giant Microsoft Corp announced on Thursday that it has tapped a former Yahoo executive to head its online operations.
Microsoft said that Dr. Qi Lu, who was formerly with the Yahoo, as executive vice president of Engineering for the Search and Advertising Technology Group, will join the company as president of the Online Services Group.
Dr. Lu will lead Microsoft's efforts in search and online advertising and all the company's online information and communications services, said a press release. Dr. Lu will report to Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Steve Ballmer.
Yahoo!, Lu was responsible for development efforts around Yahoo!'s Web search and monetization platforms. He left the organization in August 2008 after 10 years of service. "I am tremendously excited to welcome Qi to Microsoft," Ballmer said.
"Dr. Lu's deep technical expertise, leadership capabilities and hard-working mentality are well-known in the technology industry, and Microsoft will benefit from his addition to our executive management team." "I am genuinely excited about the opportunities ahead for Microsoft to make an enormous impact on the online industry," Dr. Lu said.
"Microsoft has built a great foundation for its search and advertising technologies and put an amazing team of researchers and engineers in place to drive the next wave of innovation in online services. I'm looking forward to working with them to help transform the way people and businesses use the Internet to find and share information."
Lu's first day at Microsoft will be January 5, 2009, Microsoft said. The new appointment is being viewed as the software giant's efforts to strengthen its search-ad strategy to better compete with Google Inc.
It had announced on Thursday a new contest, 'Win with Search' on its 'Live' search engine.

Microsoft to launch branded smart phone?

2008-12-02T17:17:00.000+05:30

The rumor has been going on for quite some time that Microsoft is planning to launch a branded smart phone.

However, if some recent reports are any indication, the software giant will hit the cell phone market during the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February 2009. According to a research note by Canaccord Adams analyst Peter Misek .

"There is a high likelihood that Microsoft is slated to enter the branded smart phone market in 2009 by unveiling its first device at the Mobile World Congress."

Misek says that the new gadget will use the Nvidia Tegra 650 chipset, which incorporates an ARM processor plus processors for high definition video, audio and imaging, and an ultra-low power GeForce graphics-processing unit.

Technology news site theinquirer.net, had also reported recently that a Microsoft-branded phone will be unveiled in February.

According to Misek, the release of a branded phone from Microsoft could result in some initial negative impact on Apple and RIM shares.

Though the software giant used to deny this speculation every time, this time it has not responded to the rumors, which means that there could be some ground in what we heard through the grapevine.

The little old mouse turns 40 next week

2008-12-02T17:15:00.000+05:30

He is not called Mickey. But he is as naughty a mouse as the ever young cartoon character, which conquered the silver screen and the animation industry some eighty years back.

He is the mouse who made Mickey and Minnie crawl into your drawing room and the computer screen in many shape and drape.

And next week the computer mouse, which animated many a cartoon character and redefined the way we used the computer graphics, is turning forty; to be precise, on December 9.

Ever since its birth the tiny little mouse has only one mission - linking the computer and the user, though it has undergone many an incarnation. The computer mouse, originated at the Stanford Research Institute, derives from the resemblance of early models (which had a cord attached to the rear part of the device, suggesting the idea of a tail) to the common mouse.

When Doug Engelbart and his team at the Stanford Research Institute in California designed a computer controller encased in a carved-out wooden block, with wheels mounted on the underbelly, one researcher nicknamed it a 'mouse'.

"We thought that when it had escaped out to the world it would have a more dignified name," Engelbart recalled later. "But it didn't." It got a public debut on December 9, 1968 when Engelbart gave a 90-minute presentation on of a working network computer system in San Francisco.

The public presentation was a session in the of the Fall Joint Computer Conference held at the Convention Center in San Francisco, and it was attended by about 1,000 computer professionals.

Later apple bought the patent version of the mouse for its Macintosh in 1984 that secured the success of the invention.

It would celebrate its 40th birthday in the presence of its creator Engelbart, 83, in San Francisco.

Though the little 'creature' has revolutionized the way we used the computer, it may soon become an extinct species'.

Not just the laptop, even the desktops may soon become 'mouseless'. HP is planning to push a mouse-less TouchSmart PC.

Today we have Apple's iPhone and Nintendo's Wii, which show the potential for touch screens and movement sensors.

And the technology may soon prove to be 'disastrous' for the mouse.

According to a Gartner Research, the future of mouse is not that bright. The report says that the mouse will be in the picture for just about four or five years and it will have to give way to the touch screen technology.

So the 40-year-old computer mouse is probably 'older' than Mickey, which is as younger as it was on its birthday – alive and kicking. Still it's time to wish the little creature 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY'.

YouTube launches classical music competition

2008-12-02T16:54:00.000+05:30

Video sharing website YouTube is all set to give a boost to the classical music by launching a competition to discover new classical musicians.

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra, as the program is named, will transform individual performances into a global symphony and change the way musicians connect over the Internet, YouTube said in a statement. Classical musicians around the world can participate in the competition by submitting two videos demonstrating their musical and technical abilities by January 28, 2009, the statement said.

The final public vote would take place two weeks later. While one piece of performance should be 'The Internet Symphony', an original Tan Dun composition written specifically for this program, the participants have the right to choose the second classical piece according to their interest to demonstrate their musical ability.

The winners in the competition will get a chance to perform alongside world-renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, learn from composer Tan Dun and many members of the London Symphony Orchestra.

They will also get a chance to consult with pianist Lang Lang, and collaborate with YouTube users from around the globe. Selected musicians will also have the honor of participating in an April 2009 summit and perform at New York City's Carnegie Hall.

The audition videos can be submitted to www.youtube.com/symphony, YouTube statement said.

Is technology a toy in the hands of terrorists?

2008-12-01T11:42:00.000+05:30

The terror strike on Mumbai has once again brought to the fore how technology, especially in the communication front, is being used for anti-social, or to be precise antihuman, activities.
The fishing trawler, Kuber that the Indian Coast Guard officials had intercepted from Porbandar on Thursday was found with a GPS map of south Mumbai and also a satellite phone. It is believed that the terrorists used this ship, missing since November 13, to reach Mumbai via sea route.
Then again, a satellite phone recovered from two dead terrorists reportedly showed calls made to Karachi before and after the attacks commenced.
And, as is the case of any terror strike, here also the Internet was used to claim responsibility of the attack, though its authenticity is still doubtful. Hours after the Mumbai terror siege began, many media organizations received an e-mail from an unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen claiming responsibility for the attack.
"We want to warn the Indian government that they must stop the injustice against the Muslim community," warned the email. However, security experts feel that there is no such organization called Deccan Mujahideen. According to a television channel the Internet connection used to send the email had been traced to Russia.
The use of email has become very common among the terrorists to spread their poison worldwide. Following the recent serial explosion in Delhi, a young techie called Mansur Peerbhoy, who worked as software engineer with Yahoo India, was nabbed for acting as the 'internet brain' of Indian Mujahideen that claimed responsibility for the attack.
The use of technical advancement for disastrous activities has become a headache for the authorities. The situation is such that a terrorist can safely use a satellite phone or even a micro blogging system to implement the 'mission of terror'.
And the question as of now is: how to handle this situation of hi-tech terror and prevent technological advancements from being tools in the hands of the agents of terrorism.©CyberMedia News

Terrorists ring up "India TV" twice during siege

2008-12-01T11:39:00.002+05:30

Two terrorists, Shadullah and Imran Babar, rang up India TV twice during the siege on Thursday using cellphones of their hostages to place their points of view, said the TV channel.
The first call came in the morning from Shadullah who was holed up in Oberoi Hotel, Mumbai.
Using Cellphone no. 09769679723 belonging to a Swedish lady named Lisa Ringner from Room No. 1856, Hotel Oberoi, Shadullah rang up India TV's popular number 93505 93505 and spoke at length about why he and his colleagues carried out the strikes in Mumbai.
Shadullah claimed that he belonged to Deccan Mujahideen, a little known outfit which had claimed responsibility of the terror strikes in Mumbai on Wednesday night.
The anchor repeatedly asked whether he was from Hyderabad, India, or from Hyderabad, Pakistan, to which he replied in his heavily Pakistani accent that he belonged to Hyderabad of the Deccan. Shadullah carried on with his litany of perceived injustices meted out Muslims in India.
The conversation ran thus :
India TV - What do you want?
Shadullah - When so many of us were killed, who did anything for us? Babri Masjid was demolished. We were not allowed to stay in peace.. That time, nobody was with us. You are talking of surrender.. Let these commandos come.. Hum Uski Aisi Chhutti karega ki woh apne bachhey ko yateem kar lega. (We will get rid of them in such a manner that their sons will become orphans)
India TV- You belong to which place? To which faction do you belong?
Shadullah- We belong to Hyderabad. India TV-Hyderabad of Pakistan?
Shadullah- No, Hyderabad of the Deccan. And we are from Deccan Mujahideen.
India TV-What are your demands?
Shadullah- Wait for a minute (he consults with somebody)
India TV-Tell us your demands, because the whole of India is listening to you.
Shadullah-Hello, We demand the release of all mujaheddin put in jails. Then will we release these people. Otherwise.. Nahin Toh hum Eent se Eent Bajayega (we will destroy this place)..You must have seen, what's happening here.
India TV- Tell us, how many of you are there in Oberoi hotel?
Shahdullah-Why should I tell you?
India TV-No, you tell us because you are claiming that so many people are fighting for you.. At least tell us, how many of you are there?
Shadullah - Hum saath hain (We are seven)..saath (seven)
India TV- You are seven there in Oberoi Hotel? Shahdullah-Yes India TV-Do you have the single demand that all mujaheddin arrested be released.. or do you have any other demand?
Shahdullah - Yes, release them, and we, the Muslim who live in India, should not be harassed.. Things like demolition of Babri Masjid and killings should stop.
India TV-Shahdullah, we want to tell you that you are yourself a citizen of India.. You yourself say that you belong to Hyderbad. Don't you have love for your own country.. your own Hindustan? Because those who are killed they could be your brothers, or the brothers of others..
Shahdullah- We love this country.. this is our country..but the issue is this: when our elders, our brothers are killed, didn't these people see all this? OK ..Allah Haafiz.
The second call was from another terrorist Imran Babar from Nariman House, Mumbai, where he used the cellphone no. 9819464530 belonging to Holtzberg Gaverlein, staying at Nariman House Number 3, Hormusji Street, Colaba, Mumbai.
Imran Babar also rang up India TV's popular number kept aside for viewers 93505 93505. Time: 17:07:05 hrs.
India TV-Hello, Imran, where are you?
Imran Babar - We are here..You call their (Israeli) Army Staff to visit Kashmir.. why is it so?..Who are they to come to J & K..This is a matter between us and Hindus..the Hindu government..Why does that Israel come here..To say that Israel and Palestine..
India TV-Imran, you claim that you are in Nariman House.. How many of your friends are there in Nariman House?
Imran -We know how to live.. how to snatch our rights. India
TV - Imran, are you able to listen to what I am saying?
Imran-Yes, I can hear you..
India TV-Just reply to my question.. How many of you are there in Nariman House?
Imran-I have five persons with me..
India TV-And when did you come to Mumbai?
Imran-Hum log.. Hum log apne kaam se aaya hai (We have come here for our work).. Raah Dekhte Raha (we waited). Saara maamla aapke samne hai (everything is before you).. Zulm aur zyadati bardasht karke jab hum thak gaya hai, tab humne eisa karne ko majboor ho gaya hai.. Aapke saamne haalaat hai.. Main toh wahi aapko baar baar itihaas bata raha hun..lekin (We are tired of facing tortures and injustice, we are forced to do this.. The situation is in front of you..I am merely repeating history to you, but..) I don't' understand why you people talk like this?
India TV-What's your age, Imran? Imran-I am 25.
India TV-What's the age of your friends?
Imran-My other friends are also of the same age.young..adults..
Claiming to have worked as a medical representative in a multinational company, Babar said these attacks were to avenge "torture and injustice". He, however, skirted the query as to which place he hails from, said a release from India TV.
India TV repeatedly appealed to both the terrorists to surrender and release the hostages, but they were adamant. India TV said it informed the security agencies in Delhi and Mumbai as soon as the calls were received from the terrorists.
The details of the cellphones were obtained from security agencies, who were keeping track of these conversations.

Web outperforms Media in Mumbai Blast

2008-12-01T11:37:00.000+05:30

The effectiveness of web is again brought out as terror attacks paralyze India's financial capital, Mumbai.
The usage of web came in a new colour and flavour as the mobile and fixed line circuits to city were clogged since large number of people was trying to get in touch with each other in the city. Amidst a situation beleaguered by terror from all sides, blogging became a major source of information.
It was through the 'Mumbai Help' blog that bloggers offered to help users get through to their family and friends in the city, or to get information on them.
Dina Mehta, an ethnographer by profession and a blogger on Mumbai Help, said, "We will do what we can."
"We are certainly providing people emotional support at this difficult time," she added.
The Mumbai Help's teams were checking out on Thursday if hospitals have put out the list of the injured and dead, in order to pass on the information to bloggers and callers.
The famous micro-blogging site Twitter helped in passing information about the attacks.
Twitter, popular micro blogging sites, where the users communicate with short messages, witnessed an intense response on Thursday.
Last night Twitter this micro blogging service witnessed more than six million members worldwide.
The Twitter users in India especially in Mumbai were providing instant eyewitness accounts of the unfolding drama.
Some of the sources estimated that the messages, known as "tweets", were being posted to the site at a rate of around 70 tweets every five seconds when the news of the tragedy first broke.
Twitter users took up the role of social workers by sending tweets pleading for blood donors to make their way to the JJ Hospital in Mumbai, as stocks were in danger of running low in the wake of the atrocity.
The Google Map was also brought into picture to identify the locations of the incidents, with links to news stories and eyewitness accounts.
Among other cameos played by web, there was the first-hand account of the Mumbai attacks on Flickr that came from Vinukumar Ranganathan who grabbed his camera and headed out onto the streets of the city, taking a series of photos showing mangled cars, bloodstained roads and fleeing crowds. He uploaded more than 112 photos to Flickr.
As Twitter is one of the most powerful social medium for spreading news and information, some government agencies feared that the terrorists would also use it as a tool for communication.
The many mainstream media outlets including CNN, used video footage and photos sent in from people on the ground in Mumbai to illustrate their reports, and many television stations, radio stations and newspapers were also keeping a close eye on Twitter and the blogosphere in the hope of finding out more information.
It turns out that there is a lot of fuel packed within the online machinery than what has been realized by users or even crisis management agencies so far.
Do you think that there is a silent power sleeping inside the Web, which when tapped properly, can be the answer to so many questions that haunt us when terror numbs all other mediums? Do you think that our authorities are still blind and deaf to the strength that is wrapped inside a normal citizen and his normal Web citizenship? They have shown what can be done when they are forced to wake up. What do you think?

Europeana, an online challenge to Google library

2008-11-20T12:50:00.000+05:30

The European Union on Thursday announced the launch of its Europeana digital library, an online digest of Europe's cultural heritage that aims to draw together millions of books and other items.

According to the media reports, the project would use the latest technologies to allow users anywhere access to films, paintings, photographs, sound recordings, maps, manuscripts, newspapers and documents as well as books kept in European libraries.

The source mentioned that the prototype that was launched today and would contain around two million digital items, all of them already in the public domain, as the most recent items are plagued by problems linked to copyright.

Europeana is a Thematic Network funded by the European Commission under the eContentplus programme, as part of the i2010 policy.

Originally known as the European digital library network – EDLnet – it is a partnership of 90 representatives of heritage and knowledge organizations and IT experts from throughout Europe.

By 2010, the date when Europeana is due to be fully operational, the aim is to have 10 million works available, though this is very negligible compared to the 2.5 billion books in Europe's more common libraries.

Around one percent of the books in the EU's national libraries are now available in digital form, with that figure expected to grow to four percent in 2012.

And even when they are digitalized, they still have to be put online. Google, one of the pioneers in this domain, claims to have seven million books available for its 'Google Book Search' project, which had gone online in 2004.

Now Microsoft looks for search deal with Yahoo!!

2008-11-20T12:44:00.000+05:30

Though Microsoft Corp is no longer interested in buying out Yahoo Inc, the software giant's CEO Steve Ballmer said on Wednesday that Microsoft is very much open to a search deal with Yahoo.

Yahoo, which had rejected the $47.5 billion takeover offer from Microsoft's in May, had also rejected the bid to buy only its search engine.

"Let me be clear, we are done with all acquisition discussions with Yahoo," Ballmer reportedly said at Microsoft's annual shareholder meeting.

It was reported that Yahoo rejected the deal on the insistence of its co-founder and CEO Jerry Yang. However, since he is stepping down, analysts had felt that things might change.
According to latest reports Yahoo shareholders expect the next chief executive to be willing to do a deal with Microsoft.

Microsoft's retraction from the prospective deal sent Yahoo shares diving more than 20 per cent on Wednesday.

However, some analysts feel that Ballmer's public comment is a tactical one aimed at a price negotiation and the software giant still wants to grab Yahoo at a low price.

Microsoft to launch HPC server

2008-11-17T17:51:00.002+05:30

Microsoft Corporation India Private Limited, an IT service provider today announced the release to manufacture (RTM) of windows HPC Server 2008 – its latest offering in the high performance computing (HPC) segment.

The server would be available to independent software vendors (ISVs) and computer manufacturers for final distribution, said a press release.

It is expected to provide an easy-to-deploy, cost-effective and scalable high-performance computing solution –that combines the power of the windows server platform with rich, out-of-the-box functionality to enhance productivity and reduce complexity of any given HPC environment, it added.

Pallavi Kathuria, director, server business group, Microsoft India said, "The success achieved by Windows Compute Cluster Server 2003 in the last few years is a strong testament of Microsoft's value proposition in the high performance computing market."

She added that they are confident that as the successor, Windows HPC Server 2008 would help them to build a momentum by offering an easy to deploy, cost effective and scalable HPC solution for firms to leverage their existing resources and scale from workstation to cluster — all in a familiar Windows environment.

The launch of the server has strengthened Microsoft's commitment to driving the adoption of high performance computing beyond traditional HPC workloads into mainstream scenarios.

It is basically designed to deliver improved productivity of systems administration and cluster interoperability by simplifying overall deployment administration and management, said the release.

ISRO to launch Chandrayaan-II in 2012

2008-11-14T12:13:00.003+05:30

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) chairman G Madhavan Nair said on Thursday that India would launch its second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-II, in 2012 and a small robot would be dropped on the moon.

"Chandrayaan-II will be launched by 2012. We will have a lander that will drop a small robot on the moon, which will pick samples, analyze data and send the data back," Nair told media on the sidelines of a Space Technology seminar here.

Already the project has been formulated for Chandrayaan-II. Talking about Chandrayaan-I, Madhavan Nair said the Moon Impact Probe would land on the lunar surface on Friday evening.

He said already 95 per cent of the mission had been completed and the total success of the mission would be known only after the remaining work was completed.

Regarding the 'solar mission' called Aditya, Nair said a satellite was intended to study solar emissions and it would be launched within two years. ISRO would also go ahead with the study of sending a spacecraft to Mars.

Microsoft strikes web search deal with Sun

2008-11-12T15:49:00.002+05:30

The agreement stated that internet users who download the Sun’s Java platform would get an easy option to download MSN toolbar, that would help in direct access of the company’s search engine

SEATTLE, USA: Microsoft Corp said on Monday that it reached a Web search deal with Sun Microsystems Inc, the latest partnership struck by Microsoft aimed at chipping away at the dominance of Google Inc.

As part of this agreement, users of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser who download Sun's Java technology platform will be given the option to also download the MSN Toolbar from where users can directly access the company's search engine.

Earlier this year, Microsoft also reached an agreement with Hewlett-Packard Co, the world's largest personal computer maker, to place a toolbar on new PCs in the United States and Canada starting in January.

"This deal will expose Live Search to millions more Internet users and drive increased volume for our search advertisers," said Yusuf Mehdi, senior vice president of the Online Audience Business at Microsoft, in a statement.

Striking distribution deals are one part of Microsoft's strategy to close the gap on market leader Google. Microsoft said competition for these types of deals is intense and that the company had to outbid several rivals for the Sun deal.

Sun said the Java platform sits on more than 800 million personal computers around the world, or on 91 percent of Internet-connected PCs worldwide. The Java Runtime Environment is downloaded tens of millions times every month, Sun said.

Google's U.S. Web search market share reached 63 percent in August versus a 19.6 percent for Yahoo Inc and 8.3 percent for Microsoft, according to comScore.

India's IT industry is safe: Nasscom

2008-11-11T17:01:00.002+05:30

We need not worry about the slowdown in the US economy. It is all a temporary phase and very soon, the US dollar will reach a stable position, said Ganesh Natarajan, chairman of Nasscom

CHANDIGARH, INDIA: India's IT industry does not need to worry about the current economic downturn as 'we have a strong knowledge base' and the established market players here would not be affected, a top industry body official said.

"We need not worry about the slowdown in the US economy. It is all a temporary phase and very soon, the US dollar will reach a stable position," said Ganesh Natarajan, chairman of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom).

Addressing a chief executives' meeting here, he said despite the global meltdown, the Indian software business is growing at the rate of 21-24 percent every year.

He, however, urged the IT industry leaders to look beyond the US market. "Plenty of opportunities are available in Latin America, Japan, China, Europe and also in some African nations," Natarajan said.

"By 2020, India can alone fulfil the need of technical talent of the whole world. By that time the whole world would need 43 billion technocrats while India will have 47 billion surplus technocrats," he said.

He added that huge investments have to be made to train the available talent.

According to Natarajan, the estate and retail business would feel the heat of the economic downturn. "But our IT sector is safe and would continue to grow," he said.

Ethernet fabric switching for next-generation data centers

2008-11-11T16:37:00.006+05:30

Traditional approaches to data center networking cannot satisfy the scale, bandwidth, latency and cost points required for evolving data center software architectures.

Fibre Channel and InfiniBand remain costly due to the specialized knowledge needed to implement, tune and administer, while traditional Ethernet switches fail to meet the stringent new demands. The best alternative is Ethernet fabric solutions designed specifically for the modern data center.

An Ethernet fabric provides a low-cost, high-speed, ultra-low-latency, loss-less and scalable network infrastructure. It can offer a full cross-sectional interconnect for 1 Gigabit Ethernet (GE) or 10 GE attached servers, and allows the compute and storage servers to maximize aggregate compute power in a cost effective way. Key attributes are:

• Scalability to hundreds of 10 GE ports and thousands of 1 GE ports.
• Nonblocking (wirespeed) full cross-sectional bandwidth.
• Loss-less packet delivery.
• Ultra-low latency (sub-six-microsecond latency across a multidevice core).

Conventional Ethernet networks consist of a multitier hierarchy, with bandwidth oversubscription in every tier, as shown in Figure 1. These networks are typically designed for Fast Ethernet and 1GB servers and clients, where 10GB is often used for interconnecting the Ethernet switches.

Spanning tree protocols are used for loop avoidance and active-standby resiliency. While spanning tree accommodates loop-free Layer-2 topology, it reduces the overall bandwidth efficiency of the network because of the lack of readily available alternate paths. The reason is that the time needed to reconstruct the tree, even with the so-called rapid spanning tree protocol, takes many seconds rather than the few milliseconds required. Therefore, conventional Ethernet switches are not optimized for high-density 10GB interfaces.

Ethernet fabrics, on the other hand, are based on a Clos architecture, also known as a fat-tree topology. Unlike traditional multitier Ethernet networks that oversubscribe 1GB or 10GB links to interconnect switches, Ethernet fabrics require every switching tier to be connected to the next tier closer to the root with higher aggregate bandwidth and without any over-subscription, guaranteeing a nonblocking switch fabric.

While this can be easily implemented for 1GB links, it becomes challenging for 10GB links. For 10GB server links the aggregate capacity facing the root needs to be accommodated by a group of 10GB links. In order to assure nonblocking bandwidth, these groups of 10GB links cannot be blocked as in conventional enterprise Ethernet topologies.

So Ethernet fabrics use high-capacity nonblocking 10GB switching nodes and employ Layer-2 multipath technology where all link capacity is available simultaneously to construct the fat-tree topology. Significantly, these switches utilize cut-through technology to maintain ultra-low end-to-end latency. As a result, this architecture enables full cross-sectional bandwidth through the Ethernet fabric, and the ability to scale nonblocking bandwidth with low latency is well beyond what is possible using today’s traditional approach.

With an Ethernet fabric, shown in Figure 2, traffic flows are distributed across multiple Layer 2 paths based on traffic load for each path to maximize the fabric’s bandwidth efficiency. The Layer 2 multipath technology in an Ethernet fabric distributes traffic on available paths using a dynamic rebalancing technique that assures optimal use of the aggregate bandwidth while guaranteeing ultra-low latency for all the traffic flows.

The fabric not only dynamically rebalances traffic, it also avoids congestion. Congestion can be caused by external traffic load distribution or random traffic patterns where multiple sources send traffic simultaneously to the same destination. Congestion is detected and avoided inside the fabric using a dynamic avoidance technique (based on real-time, one-way latency plus jitter measurements) that detects congestion on any path and dynamically redirects the flow to an alternate congestion-free path.

In the case of congestion at the destination, the Ethernet fabric can notify the source using standard Ethernet pause frames at the ingress port, thereby eliminating packet drops at the egress. As a result, the fabric can guarantee loss-less packet delivery. In contrast, rather than pausing the source of the traffic, traditional switches will pause neighboring switches creating a "congestion-tree" in the network infrastructure.

In addition to better satisfying the high nonblocking throughput and low latency required in the data center, Ethernet fabrics are also more cost effective than traditional Ethernet switches in large-scale deployments. A fabric’s cost remains relatively flat, whereas traditional switch costs rise dramatically when either bandwidth is increased while keeping the number of servers constant, or when the number of servers is increased but the level of bandwidth is held constant.

To deliver the low-latency, nonblocking throughput required in the data center, the Ethernet fabric must be able to establish multiple, alternate paths that can be utilized in real time to eliminate congestion. The best fabrics are able to perform this feat by dynamically selecting the path with the lowest latency and jitter without dropping or reordering any packets using cut-through switching. Anything less is just an ordinary Ethernet switch.

Drive makers race to be first with 1TB drives !!

2007-01-08T13:58:00.000+05:30

Two of the biggest hard-disk drive makers, Seagate Technology and Hitachi Global Storage Technology, both said Thursday that they plan to have drives on the market with the first half of this year that are capable of holding a terabyte (1,000GB) of data.

Hitachi said it would have a drive available in the retail market before the end of March for $399. Models for use in digital video recorders and enterprise computer servers will follow in the second quarter when production volumes increase, said Doug Pickford, Hitachi's director of market and product strategy.

The 7K1000 drive, which will be on show at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, will have five 3.5-inch disk platters on which to store data. It will carry a SATA (Serial Advanced Technology Attachment) interface on the retail version. A model with the older PATA (Parallel Advanced Technology Attachment) interface will follow later, said Pickford. It will have a rotational speed of 7,200 rpm.

Seagate said in a statement that it plans to begin shipping a 1TB drive sometime during the first half of 2007 to major customers like system and PC vendors during that time-frame. It didn't provide any other details of the drive or its cost. Seagate also didn't address the retail market in its statement.

Terabyte drives, for long a goal of the storage industry, started to get within reach in the last year as drive makers began using a new technology called perpendicular recording.
Like the longitudinal recording that has been used until recently, perpendicular recording relies on magnetically charged particles for data storage. In longitudinal drives, the north and south poles of the magnetic particles run parallel to the disk, but in the new method they are arranged perpendicular to the disk. The result of this new arrangement is that each particle occupies a smaller area of the disk's surface and so more particles can be crammed onto the disk.

Yahoo optimizes Messenger for Vista !!

2007-01-08T13:53:00.000+05:30

Yahoo is building a new version of its Messenger communications service specifically for the Windows Vista operating system.

Yahoo Messenger for Vista will be previewed Monday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and will be launched in public beta during the second quarter. It offers the ability to resize the contacts window and to start a chat without opening a chat window, easy access to a color wheel to change the background color, and the ability to make photos full-screen size when sharing them. Users can also combine multiple chat sessions into one window with multiple tabs and can drag and drop a contact onto the desktop for separate viewing.

Another new feature is the automatic creation of contact groups based on Yahoo network affinity groups of which users may be members. For instance, a user who is in the Yahoo Fantasy Football group can see other group contacts in the Messenger window or separate them out into a new window.

Yahoo Messenger for Vista also leverages the desktop search in Vista to let the user search for photos stored on the computer, and it includes new animated emoticons.

Adobe to issue patches for Reader vulnerability !!!

2007-01-05T21:28:00.000+05:30

Adobe Systems will issue patches next week for older versions of its Reader and Acrobat Reader software, which contain a dangerous vulnerability that could be used for phishing attacks or to remotely access files on a computer.

The problem affects versions 7.0.8 and earlier of the Acrobat and Reader programs. Adobe is telling users of those versions to disable the Acrobat and Reader plug-in in their Web browser until the patches are issued.
Since the problem became public, Adobe has also been encouraging customers to upgrade to Reader 8 , the latest version of its program, which is not affected by the vulnerability.
Some users can't upgrade to the new version, however, so Adobe will issue the patches for those users next week, Meredith Mills, an Adobe spokeswoman, said via email.
Security experts warned that the cross-site scripting vulnerability could let an attacker run arbitrary JavaScript code on a targeted machine by linking to a PDF file on the machine.
In a phishing attack, for example, a hacker could add JavaScript to a URL (uniform resource locator) that links to a PDF document on a site. If the link is opened, the JavaScript would run, inserting a form soliciting the user's password at a banking site, with the information transferred back to the hacker.
Adobe is also warning users to exercise caution when clicking on untrusted links, since those links could be manipulated to run an exploit.
Security vendor Websense Inc. wrote on Thursday that an attacker could also gain access to files on a machine.
Exploits will apparently only work with certain combinations of Web browsers and Adobe software, but Adobe did not specify which combinations.
Symantec wrote in its blog that the vulnerability affects the Firefox Web browser. Further tests showed that users running a combination of Internet Explorer (IE) 6 and Adobe Reader 7 on Windows XP Service Pack 1, and Internet Explorer 6 and Adobe Reader 4 on Windows XP Service Pack 2, are also vulnerable, Symantec wrote.

Get better performance with Cisco Express Forwarding (CEF)

2007-01-05T21:20:00.000+05:30

On Thursday, Toshiba's Storage Device Division announced the release of the first HD- DVD writer specifically designed for use in desktop and media PCs.
ADVERTISEMENT
The new SD-H903A, like Toshiba's slim-line HD DVD writer, which was launched last year, will offer read and write support for legacy formats and let users listen to and watch CD and DVD material along with high-definition DVD content, according to the company.
"Toshiba is leading the transition to next-generation DVD technologies with an easy-to-use, low-cost solution for professionals and consumers looking to creat and enjoy high-definition content," said Scott Maccabe, vice president and general manager of Toshiba's Storage Device Division, in a statement on Thursday.
Consumers will also be able to capture content, edit home videos and tap into the 30 GB of storage capacity of HD DVDs using the new SD-H903A, Toshiba said.
"HD-DVD adoption is growing rapidly in all applications—from gaming to A/V editing," Maccabe added. "With its remarkable resolution, higher storage capacity and interactive offerings, HD DVD brings a superior media experience to consumers."
According to Toshiba, the writer will feature a serial ATA (SATA) interface, will integrate a blue-violet laser diode to read and write HD DVD-R discs, and can support high-density HD DVD-ROM discs, including high-definition movie and video images.
To date, more than 1.5 million HD DVD movies have been sold, and HD DVD players are expected to continue to drop in price throughout 2007. That said, far more manufacturers and movie studios support the Blu-ray format, despite the fact that HD DVDs were first to market and are generally considered cheaper to manufacture.
Many analysts believe that the PC market will play a significant role in the eventual outcome of the format war.
Toshiba plans to showcase the SD-H903A, along with its slim line HD DVD drive, at this year's CES. Volume shipments of the new HD DVD writer are scheduled for February, according to the company, with OEM sampling starting this month.