With Windows Server 2003 end of life approaching, companies will be faced with moving large numbers of enterprise applications. We provide the only way to upgrade existing server applications from WS2003 to WS2008 or WS2012 in a cost effective and time saving way.
AppZero, the fastest and most flexible way to move server applications from the datacenter to the cloud, has released V5.3 enabling users to “up-level the OS” of their existing server applications to WS2012.
Monthly Archives: April 2013
Professional’s Choice is the Focus of Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 Preview
Today Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 becomes available in a feature-complete preview. With Parallels commitment towards professional hosting, the 11.5 release is focused on professional aspects of the product, including business growth, upgrading, upsell and ease of operations, for both web hosts and website owners.
Easier to adopt and grow
Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 makes it easier to move from previous versions of Parallels Plesk Panel, helping service providers take advantage of the latest technology and security, and rapidly grow their businesses.
We understand that professional hosters are growing and need technology solutions that will make that growth possible. In Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5, the ease of switching from other versions has been designed in, delivering a simplified and reliable transfer experience.
For example, the updated migration manager is designed to identify possible transfer limitations in advance, allowing you to configure new servers with the correct services, disk space and other resources before starting the transfer process.
During transfers, a new and streamlined process will now communicate errors in a way that is easier to identify and react to, and will help with troubleshooting by keeping all relevant logs in a single dedicated folder. For example, everything about recent transfers will be stored in /usr/local/psa/PMM/logs/migration-2013-04-10-19-39-22-557/.
At the same time, we are also enabling the transfer of sites with remote databases (avoiding “database already exists” errors) and improving backup compression by using pigz instead of gzip which reduces backup time up to 3x. (pigz = “parallel implementation of gzip” – a fully functional replacement for gzip that exploits multiple processors and multiple cores to the hilt when compressing data)
Some of our customers are running a mix of old and new panel versions because of the need to support new and old websites running with different PHP versions. With 11.5 you can mix and match PHP versions on a single server, allowing you to consolidate all websites into the latest version of the panel.
Windows hosters will find Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 to be considerably faster on many backup and upgrade functions. Mail data is backed up and restored differently (not using slow IMAP), and MS SQL backups are sped up significantly by using native MS SQL backups. Additionally, 11.5 introduces deferred file transfer for less traffic and faster response times.
With these changes it will be easier for you to upgrade to the latest version of Parallels Plesk Panel, achieve greater security and comprehensive IPv6 support, prepare to grow into a multi-server solution someday, and deliver new services beyond shared hosting.
Easier to upsell
With Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 you can maximize and control your upsell process with management of panel promotions, notifications, and licenses.
With previous versions of Parallels Plesk Panel you had to go outside of the panel to upgrade, upsell or communicate with your customers. With 11.5 and a new License Key Administrator interface called “KA Partner Central” (coming soon – not part of this Preview) you will be able to deliver custom notifications to your users and modify notifications in the panel. Shortly after Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 releases, we will improve reporting and management of licenses to make it easier to track how and where your Parallels Plesk Panel licenses are used. We’ll also make it easier to add, suspend, or do other typical license operations in a clean, more modern UI.
Along with the growth of the Parallels Plesk Panel catalog of both open source and commercial applications, we have also improved the application experience by adding better search and browse capabilities and a quick unattended application installation experience. To support integration of some premium e-mail applications, such as Open-Xchange, Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 adds support for the APS Mail Aspect.
Managing applications is also easier in Parallels Panel 11.5. You can install a specific version of an application (for example, if you expect plug-in compatibility issues), and easily keep applications up-to-date. Users get update notifications and can turn on automatic application updating. Hosting providers can turn on forced updates of all applications on the server – to guarantee security patches are loaded, for instance.
Full Control
Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 makes the most sophisticated professional web hosting features available to both Windows and Linux admins in a way that is easy to understand and use.
With older versions of Parallels Plesk Panel, some of our partners were frustrated because we did not give them enough control over the system and had to translate your sophisticated system administrative skills into a “Plesk way” of getting things done. We have addressed this concern in Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 with many improvements for technical users. Parallels Panel 11.5 is more admin-friendly, so less training time is required. Plus, this latest version empowers webmasters to manage PHP and Web Server settings site-by-site in an SEO-safe manner – which includes appropriate configuration of redirects, domain aliases, www-prefix and appropriate suspend to keep sites showing up in search engines.
Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 moves to well-understood, standard management practices used by Linux and Windows administrators. For Linux Admins, Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 significantly simplifies the structure of the user’s home directory, allowing you to put your files where you need them, avoiding confusion with “strange” system folders so you can easily locate what you need. It also makes significant improvements in the CLI (command line interface) for admins who want to bypass the GUI to operate more rapidly.
Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 makes the server administrator and infrastructure provider’s life easier with support of the well-known Atomic and Remi repositories which provide multiple 3rd party updates. To gain maximum performance, our new Hybrid Web Server can send static content and PHP scripts to nginx, while other scripts can still be executed in Apache. Plus, for convenience, database users can access multiple databases with the same credentials for all databases they have access to.
We enable multiple versions of PHP on any server, and you can define the PHP version used per website. This can be your custom PHP build or PHP downloaded from an alternative repository. Additional versions are selected per site and work with the FastCGI or CGI handlers.
Improved security is addressed through support for additional administrators on Linux (so there is no need to share passwords) and by secure FTP, so you can be PCI compliant and mitigate risks of intercepted user passwords.
Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 is the most sophisticated and feature rich panel product on the market, delivering unparalleled control and professional grade usability and administration. Spending less time on administration and training new admins will drive increased efficiency.
With Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5, you are also only a step away from a next-level multi-server professional hosting solution, Parallels Plesk Automation. This solution is a natural evolution of Parallels Plesk Panel, and allows you to centralize mail and administration, manage Linux and Windows web hosting on the same system, and grow into VPS and services hosting over time. Only Parallels Plesk Panel gives you a clear path to growth.
Best Usability for Website Owners
Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 lowers support and churn by delivering best-in-class usability for website owners.
Website and domain management is at the core of Parallels Plesk Panel. Although the prior version 10.x GUI looked attractive, the usability for websites and domains operations required improvement.
For Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 we reworked the user interface to make working with sites more comfortable. Now, the Websites and Domains tab is the home screen with all domains and websites listed prominently on this screen. Our new Active List feature saves time for website owners by giving them more information about their sites and domains along with common tasks in an easy to navigate interface. We are also introducing graphical help screens, built-in operations search, entity search and training videos along with fully searchable documentation.
For email in Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5, you will have more choice of webmail clients – including Roundcube and Horde IMP 5.0.
Taken together these additions improve customer self-service and satisfaction, lowering support costs and customer churn risks for service providers.
You can download Parallels Plesk Panel 11.5 Preview here: http://www.parallels.com/download/plesk/11.5
Adam Bogobowicz, Sr. Director of Product Marketing
HP’s Moonshot Could Lower Cloud Computing Costs
Hewlett-Packard doesn’t shy away from taking a few cheap shots every now and again, and its latest line of servers, called Moonshot, proves it.
HP has introduced a new line of servers that could be considered a major game changer in terms of power consumption and the cloud.
HP’s new servers consume 89 percent less power and cost 77 percent less to purchase than comparable HP servers. The new line of servers, called Moonshoot, could help CIOs uncover greater savings from cloud computing, according to an article on PCMag.com.
“Finding more cost-efficient servers is key and vital to how we serve up our applications.” said Brent Juelich, vice president of application services for cloud computing provider Savvis.
He has run Hadoop and other analytics software on the new Moonshot servers and said they perform well compared to traditional HP servers. He said he expects Moonshot could help Savvis pass along savings from power, heating and cooling costs to customers.
The HP Moonshot 1500 box delivers a “compelling new infrastructure economics by using up to 89 percent less energy, 80 percent less space, and costing 77 percent less, compared to traditional servers,” according to the company.
Intel to Buy API Maven Mashery
Sometime this quarter Intel expects to close on its just revealed intended purchase of Mashery, a seven-year-old multi-tenant SaaS start-up that manages API technology – APIs being the lingua franca of the Internet.
Intel already has its own Expressway API Manager.
Terms were not disclosed but the rumor is Intel is spending something like $120 million or $180 million on the acquisition.
The ReadWrite Web blog, which says it’s covered Mashery closely for some time, figures the “implications of the deal are huge: it signals Intel’s recognition that the central processing unit is no longer a silicon chip. It is the network.”
And evidently, like IBM, software and services are the place to retreat to. Remember, Intel bought McAfee for $7.7 billion in 2010. Now it’s supposedly appealing more to start-ups than the old-line PC houses.
Day 4 Keynote at Cloud Expo New York | Go Beyond IaaS
Many organizations want to expand upon the IaaS foundation to deliver cloud services in all forms – software, mobility, infrastructure and IT. Understanding the strategy, planning process and tools for this transformation will help catalyze changes in the way the business operates and deliver real value.
In his Day 4 Keynote at the 12th International Cloud Expo, Sheng Liang, CTO Cloud Platforms Group, Citrix Systems, will discuss the new ITaaS model and how to begin the transformation.
Sheng Liang is CTO Cloud Platforms Group, Citrix Systems. Formerly CEO of Cloud.com, he’s a technology visionary who developed the Java Virtual Machine at Sun Microsystems, and a serial entrepreneur. Before Cloud.com he co-founded web application firewall vendor Teros Networks (also acquired by Citrix), and was a member of the senior management team at SEVEN Networks and Openwave Systems, which developed software products for over 100 wireless and wire-line service providers around the world.
SmartRulesR DLP Thwarts email Distribution of Confidential Info
New Zealand-owned cloud email security and hosting company SMX has released SmartRules DLP, designed to safeguard confidential information against unauthorized email distribution.
SmartRules DLP (Data Loss Prevention) is one of a number of new service improvements currently being rolled out by SMX, following research and development support from Callaghan Innovation.
SMX’s co-founder and chief technology officer, Thom Hooker, says the R&D funding has enabled SMX to accelerate software development in several key areas. He says SmartRules® DLP has been given urgent priority, following the recent security breaches experienced by Government organizations.
“SMX is the leading cloud email security solution used by Government organizations with around 60 Government sector customers,” Thom Hooker says. “SmartRules® DLP meets the most stringent compliance requirements with easy-to-use rule building and related compliance processes.
“Email makes it very easy for employees to accidentally – or intentionally – send sensitive documents to recipients outside the organization,” Hooker says. “By deploying SMX’s SmartRules® DLP, customers can define rules to block and report on employees attempting to send sensitive documents externally. SmartRules® DLP can be configured to detect visible data as well as scanning for hidden metadata. The use of hidden metadata tags inside documents makes it harder for users to subvert DLP rules looking for visible text – that is, by changing the document name.”
Hooker says SMX’s SmartRules® DLP can also detect sensitive content embedded in archives – such as .zip, .rar, .tar, .gz, and so on – and can be configured to block emails containing archives that cannot be opened – for example, password protected or unknown document types.
Another significant new enhancement to the SMX Cloud Email Security Suite, Hooker says, will be beefing up the SMX email hosting platform with enterprise-grade security, reliability and new features. SMX will offer 100 percent availability, as well as enterprise-ready tools such as shared calendars, online data storage similar to Dropbox, global address books and support for ActiveSync to sync contacts, emails and calendars with mobile devices.
Amazon Outage
You don’t have to be a pre-cog to find and deal with infrastructure and application problems; you just need good monitoring. We had quite a day Monday during the EC2 EBS availability incident. Thanks to some early alerts—which started coming in about 2.5 hours before AWS started reporting problems—our ops team was able to intervene and make sure that our customers’ data was safe and sound. I’ll start with screenshots of what we saw and experienced, then get into what metrics to watch and alert on in your environment, as well as how to do so in TraceView.
10:30 AM EST: Increased disk latency, data pipeline backupAround
10am, we started to notice that writes weren’t moving through our pipeline as smoothly as before. Sure enough, pretty soon we started seeing alerts about elevated DB load and disk latency. Here’s what it looked like:
Savage IO to Exhibit at Cloud Expo New York
SYS-CON Events announced today that Savage IO will exhibit at SYS-CON’s 12th International Cloud Expo, which will take place on June 10–13, 2013, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York.
Savage IO is a veteran-owned and operated technology company that designs and manufactures innovative, custom-configured, high performance, high capacity converged storage solutions. These solutions are designed by user-engineers that understand the importance of quality, reliability and price.
Cloud Expo 2013 New York, June 10–13, at the Javits Center in New York City, New York, will feature technical sessions from a rock star conference faculty and the leading Cloud industry players in the world.
Open cloud: Creating new opportunities for enterprise storage
An open cloud must have freely accessible, open application programming interfaces (APIs), the freedom to move data between providers at will and no on-site hardware requirement, according to Alex Williams writing at TechCrunch.
And an open cloud is federated, meaning that your organization can move data, images and files across multiple cloud environments at will.
These factors make the cloud a perfect platform for storage solutions, especially open-source storage solutions. The cost savings of open-source software and the cost efficiencies of cloud storage software create a “perfect storm” for organizations, bringing greater cost savings, better security, higher quality software and the ability for businesses to avoid vendor “lock-in,” according to Williams.
Whether you’re a corporation, a service provider, a research lab, a university, a major enterprise, a midsized business or an SMB, adopting an open source storage solution and leveraging the support of a global open source community is …
Latest US research shows proliferation of hybrid clouds
A survey of over 800 US-based IT decision makers from Virtustream in conjunction with independent cloud research firm Neovise has revealed that over half of US enterprise are using cloud computing in one form or another.
54% of those surveyed said they were in the cloud, which certainly indicates an uptake in US adoption. Of that number, three quarters said they used public infrastructure as a service (IaaS) clouds, with 70% using private on-premise IaaS and 65% using private off-premise IaaS clouds.
The main takeaway from the research however centred on the increasing use of hybrid clouds, combining both private and public functionality.
Most notably, larger organisations are more likely to use hybrid clouds. 86% of those surveyed with more than 1000 employees used hybrid clouds, compared to the 59% with fewer than 1000 workers.
In terms of hybrid cloud preferences, there were three scenarios that respondents wanted to see …