Software : Harnessing in-memory computing

Harnessing in-memory computing
Sony's Music Unlimited sounds even better with high fidelity streaming
Panda pushes new Cloud Office Protection
Facebook flexes iOS app by adding voice and video messaging
Porn-problem photo app 500px is back on Apple's App Store
Rdio offering six months free music streaming to snare Spotify users

Posted:

As the quantity of data that a business gathers and analyses increases, new forms of data management are developing, one of the most promising of which is in-memory computing.

It involves the storage of information in the random access memory (RAM) of dedicated servers rather than in relational databases on disk drives, and makes it possible to query vast quantities of data.

With in-memory computing, the data being queried is moved as close to the processor as possible, thus eliminating any bottlenecks that may occur with, for instance, cloud based data warehouses. The typical high latency values of disk based data storage are vastly improved with in-memory techniques.

For IT managers looking to improve the agility of their businesses, in-memory computing offers a potentially huge increase in the speed of data analysis. A recent InformationWeek survey indicated that the number one area of concern among IT managers is the speed of access to data, and the technology can play a significant part in dealing with the issue.

In-memory databases have been in existence since the late 70s, but only now do we have the platforms needed and the high-speed processors to make in-memory computing economic and useful. Currently there are a number of vendors in this sector, including SAP, which offers its HANA platform with Oracle Exalytics, including a Sun Fire server with 1TB of RAM, powered by the Intel Xeon processor E7-4800 with a total of 40 processing cores, 40 Gb/s InfiniBand and 10 Gb/s Ethernet connectivity, and integrated lights out management.

In-memory computing techniques can offer a number of benefits including: improved big data analysis; reduced overall data latency levels; shorter batch processing times; improved business intelligence as big data reveals patterns and correlations; the ability to run entire datasets (not just samples) to analyse potential patterns such as transactional behaviour; and to query unstructured datasets using in-memory analyse techniques.

In-memory analytics

The increase in popularity of in-memory computing is closely linked to the falling price of dynamic RAM (DRAM). With a typical in-memory installation using 1TB of DRAM this is good news for CIOs who want to expand their use of big data silos yet keep acquisition costs to a minimum.

Coupled with this is the increased popularity of 64-bit operating systems, and multi-core processors.

Subsequently, IT managers are suddenly benefiting from a perfect storm of IT developments.

They could be forgiven for thinking that the adoption of in-memory computing is little more than a hardware upgrade to eliminate data processing bottlenecks. But there is more to it to really produce the benefits.

The key consideration is how the big data set it stored and accessed by the in-memory system. Moving what could be dispersed datasets into a single data silo that the in-memory platform can query is a logical first step.

There is also the question of cost. As the market for in-memory is still maturing, many IT managers may need to take a bootstrapping approach rather than invest heavily. However, in-memory runs with commodity servers, which will helps to alleviate the costs.

In addition, an audit of current data silos and how these might expand is critical to the in-memory computing buying decision.

Advanced business intelligence

The size of the datasets that a business is managing is an indicator of need. While big data is still the preserve of relatively few, its adoption is expanding, and companies that do not see in-memory as an imperative today could do so in the near future.

Also, business intelligence is moving towards a complete self-service platform. In-memory computing offers for the first time an almost real time interrogation of vast datasets by anyone within a company.

Add to this the moves towards 'bring your own device' and suddenly in-memory systems offer an unprecedented level of access to data analysis.

The future of in-memory computing looks set to become more cloud based. Already Stanford University is developing what is called the RAMCloud, which uses the concepts of holding data in DRAM and applying these to the cloud.

In effect, the cloud could become a DRAM memory extension that any business could use for high speed querying.

As Stanford concludes in a paper on the subject: "The two most important aspects of RAMClouds are (a) their extremely low latency and (b) their ability to aggregate the resources of large numbers of commodity servers. Together, these allow RAMClouds to scale to meet the needs of the largest web applications."

Business intelligence is now a key component of every company, and in-memory computing complements how it has evolved over the last few years. It's now a question of when and not if a company moves to in-memory data analysis.

Platforms are evolving rapidly, which means all due diligence needs to be applied to the buying decision. Once in place, however, businesses can begin to view the data they hold in a whole new light.

Sony's Music Unlimited sounds even better with high fidelity streaming

Posted:

Sony has a treat in store for Music Unlimited subscribing audiophiles: you can now stream music in high quality 320kpbs AAC audio.

Using the service's web, Android, Walkman and PS3 apps, Sony says you can now enable "pristine" high fidelity playback. The entire catalogue offers the 320kpbs AAC option provided by Omnifone, the company that powers Sony's music library.

If you don't want to be stuck with tedious average audio, you'll have to turn the 320kbps streaming option on in Music Unlimited's settings menu.

Sonic Death Monkey

Before today's boost, Music Unlimited used only the HE-AAC v2 codec at 48kbps. So if you aren't running the Android, web or PS3 apps, you'll still be stuck with 48kbps which is crappy at best, but Sony promises a boost to this 'normal' level is coming later this year; it will be going up to 64kpbs HE-AAC v2.

It doesn't look as though the high quality option is available on Sony's smart Bravia TVs nor through its iOS app yet, although Sony promises it will be adding it to other devices "later".

Music Unlimited is Sony's in-house answer to Spotify - the illustrious multi-platform service already offers 320kpbs AAC playback but its quality consistency is questionable at best.

Panda pushes new Cloud Office Protection

Posted:

Panda Security has released a beta version of Panda Cloud Office Protection Advanced 6.50, a cloud based endpoint security solution with protection for Exchange Server.

It follows the launch in June 2012 of the original version, which features Exchange Server protection that scans all inbound and outbound email regardless of protocol used.

The software also has an intelligent mailbox scanner to optimise use of the server, and includes anti-spam protection and device controls to prevent the spread of malware. It includes Malware Freezer, a module that places detected malware in quarantine for seven days.

Other new features in Panda Cloud Office Protection Advanced include URL filtering and anti-exploit technology that can block Blackhole and Redkit exploit malware, and it is compatible with Exchange Server 2013.

Facebook flexes iOS app by adding voice and video messaging

Posted:

It may have been a case of app envy, but whatever prompted Facebook to update its iOS app Monday has made it easier for users to send video and voice messages.

After the update, a "plus" icon to the left of the text entry box expands to reveal new options for writing a wall posts or sending a message.

Users can now tap the microphone icon to send quick voice messages to friends directly from their smartphone or tablet.

Posting photos and videos works much the same way, letting users tap on the camera icon to record videos and post directly to Facebook without leaving the app.

Facebook app consolidation

The update also goes beyond messaging to improve the app's location services with the Nearby tab.

With Nearby, users can check into places more accurately, showing a scrolling list of notable hotspots in the general area.

While users were previously able to send short voice messages through Facebook Messenger, that functionality is now built into the regular Facebook app.

Meanwhile, the addition of in-app video recording and sharing could explain the social network recently blocking access to Twitter's Vine video app.

Facebook's official line referred to apps that "replicate core functionality," which Vine's video sharing arguably would have done now that video is a part of the core Facebook app.

Whether or not the update is essentially justification for social network rivalry the new features are great news for users, who can now make more full use of their Facebook account without the need to swap between multiple apps.

Porn-problem photo app 500px is back on Apple's App Store

Posted:

Where the capability to share porn exists, porn will be shared.

That's an unwritten law of the internet, and Apple may finally be starting to accept it; a photo-sharing app pulled from the App Store last week due to concerns over pornographic images was, on Tuesday, restored.

The app was originally pulled from the iTunes store "for featuring pornographic images and material," according to Apple. There were even reports of child pornography, according to The Verge, though the app's co-founder, Evgeny Tchebotarev, told the site he had found no evidence of it.

And though the restored version of 500px came with some changes, it appears no major compromises were made, and the questionable material was still present when the app was returned to the store.

Ch-ch-changes

The main change to 500px is the new 17 and over age rating, the highest rating available on the App Store.

The app's description has been altered to reflect the new rating, and it now indicates that 500px includes "frequent/intense sexual content or nudity."

Users who download the app will be greeted with a pop-up message notifying them of the new rating, while those subject to parental controls may be unable to download it at all.

This change in particular was reportedly insisted upon by Apple, in addition to a new "report" button that will allow users to notify the app's creators of any material they find objectionable.

There's one more change under the hood: much like with Google's recent image search changes, it's more difficult to get adult images to appear in 500px, according to Tchebotarev speaking to The Verge.

The 500px app's "safesearch" is still off by default, but to access images deemed adult, users have to make an account and opt in to adult content in their settings menus on the app's website.

Climbing the Vine

The 500px porn controversy echoes another one going on at the same time: the hubbub surrounding Twitter's video-sharing Vine app.

Videos ranging from full-on pornography to relatively innocent - but still undeniably adult - clips were uploaded to Vine starting immediately upon its launch last week.

Vine responded by blocking certain search terms, like #porn and #sex, but as of Tuesday Apple had yet to take an official stance.

Meanwhile, 500px's Tchebotarev complained that Vine still has a 12-plus rating while 500px was forced into a more strict 17-plus.

Obviously Twitter has more clout, but either way, it will be interesting to see where Apple ultimately lands on the porn issue.

Rdio offering six months free music streaming to snare Spotify users

Posted:

Music streaming service Rdio is bidding to lure customers away from rivals Spotify and Deezer by offering free streaming for 6 months.

The US-based portal is offering ad-free, metered access to its library of over 18m songs in the hope of attracting users to one of its subscription services.

Rdio, which launched in the UK last May, enables users to stream music through the Mac and PC desktop clients and via their favourite web browser.

As well as the UK, folks in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden can grab the free tunes.

Pushing towards a purchase

The offer, which also allows users to collaborate on playlists and social sharing, mirrors that available to new sign-ups in the United States.

After the six months is up, users will be encouraged to fork over £4.99 a month to continue accessing music.

Like Spotify, the company also offers music through a series of mobile apps, a subscription to which costs $9.99.

Reports on Tuesday suggested that Rdio was adopting the 'freemium' approach in its struggle to keep up with Spotify and Deezer, both of which have an exponentially larger number of monthly active users.

Yahuui Blog

Wednesday, January 30, 2013