12th November 2007 Archive

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Oracle 'cheated' in TPC benchmarks

Myths and legends Denies wrong doing

When database folks gather to sup ale and chat, as they invariably will at Oracle's OpenWorld in San Francisco this week, talk occasionally turns to benchmarking. As soon as it does, someone will say: "Of course the trouble is you can't trust the vendors. Wasn't Oracle caught cheating at the TPC benchmarks?" The public has a …

Software & Security 12 Nov 00:02
Sun throws new servers, switch and storage gear at HPC set

SC07 Constellation finally spotted

Sun Microsystems will use this week's Supercomputing conference in Reno to make good on delivering a number of products aimed at the high performance computing crowd. When all the product releases are taken as a whole, Sun ends up with a lineup that could help it regain ground lost to IBM and HP. Regular Sun watchers will have …

Enterprise 12 Nov 05:26
HP spreads Virtual Connect to 1,600 servers

Pops out power management monster

Managing the ties between virtual servers and storage systems strikes most admins as a real pain. So, customers should welcome the arrival of an addition to HP's Virtual Connect technology that allows them to set up flexible relationships between a large number of virtual servers and physical storage boxes. Since February, HP …

Enterprise 12 Nov 05:39
Dell welcomes new Xeons with something old and new

Hear the R900 roar

Dell has grabbed hold of Intel's latest Xeon release and upgraded its mainstream server line, but the vendor would prefer you focus on the new PowerEdge R900 running on older chips. The four-socket R900 server eats up 4U of rack space and stands as Dell's top performing box of all time. The server runs on Intel's four-core 7300 …

Enterprise 12 Nov 06:31
A simple unit test for GUIs

Hands on Part 2: Server envy

Last time I described why GUI code is difficult to unit test, and why it's generally better to avoid doing so. But that doesn't mean GUI-related code shouldn't be tested - you just need to separate out the logic. Easier said than done? The number of times I've spoken to Java GUI coders who've said: "Swing code can't be unit- …

Software & Security 12 Nov 10:02
Watchdog issues voluntary public data standards

Best practice

The Audit Commission has launched a set of voluntary standards to help public bodies improve the data they use to report their activities. Introducing the guidelines, the Audit Commission said they were designed to be flexible and allow public sector organisations to take into account local risks and resources. …

IT Channel 12 Nov 10:24
DCC sees PC market deflation

And profits slide on banana settlement

DCC Plc today reported interim figures that showed its IT distribution businesses being hit by deflation. Total revenue at Ireland-based DCC was up by a quarter to nearly €2.3bn year on year. Operating profit, excluding exceptional items and amortisation, rose to €51.6m in the six months ended 30 September 2007, compared to € …

IT Channel 12 Nov 11:31
Cyber-jihad fails to materialise

Bruce Willis stood down

A much hyped cyber-jihad by Islamist s'kiddie hackers on Western websites failed to materialise on Sunday. The SANS Institute's Internet Storm Centre reports that 11 November passed off normally. So Bruce Willis, fresh from a cinematic outing battling cybergeddon in Die Hard 4pointless.0 can hang up his miraculous colour- …

Software & Security 12 Nov 11:35
Businesses put their weight behind web-enabled apps

Quocirca's changing channels It's not all about SaaS

For a growing number of organisations, web browsers are becoming the primary interface for accessing certain business applications. This enables easy access to widely distributed groups of users, not just employees on the move, but also individuals in external organisations; customers, suppliers, partners, and so on. This is …

Software & Security 12 Nov 12:13
Woman bites boyf in wedding tackle

Sometimes attack with a dog figurine just isn't enough

A word of warning this fine autumn afternoon: do not mess with 49-year-old Constance Marie Manning of Fort Wayne, Indiana, who is as far as we're aware still in Allen County Lockup on a "felony count of criminal recklessness and a misdemeanour count of domestic battery". This follows her attacking her boyf with multiple weapons …

Software & Security 12 Nov 13:53
Microsoft sells Windows twice

But it's all for a good cause, apparently

Microsoft has started a new refurbishment programme to help companies breathe life into dusty old computers by providing a copy of Windows – at a cost. The new Microsoft authorised refurbisher (MAR) programme, which launched last Friday, is aimed at resolving a growing problem among businesses which have defunct kit lying …

Software & Security 12 Nov 13:56
Fake smut codec ruse used to punt Google Pack

Malware loaded on kosher tool

Disguising Trojan horse malware as video codecs has became a favourite trick for hackers. The ruse allows malware authors to bait their enticement with the promise of free porno clips or the like. Last week, the approach was used by a rogue affiliate to offer Google Pack. The site has since been pulled. Anti-spyware firm …

Software & Security 12 Nov 14:01
IBM buys Cognos for $5bn

Denies copying SAP, Oracle

IBM has denied it's a copycat after it joined Oracle and SAP with its own business intelligence software buy. Today it announced plans to buy Canadian outfit Cognos for $5bn cash. IBM's move comes as little surprise, however, after SAP bought Business Objects and Oracle snaffled Hyperion earlier this year. Cognos was already …

Software & Security 12 Nov 14:48
Mass. firm sues Google over 1997 patent

Off to Eastern District of Texas - again

Google is the latest tech firm to book a flight to the Eastern District of Texas, after a Boston-based firm launched a patent infringement suit at the search giant. Jarg Corp has filed papers accusing Google of violating its 1997 patent number 5,694,593 for "Distributed Computer Database System and Method". The patent credits …

Software & Security 12 Nov 15:31
Firefox broken Jar vuln. menaces Gmail

Jar Jar links peril

Security watchers are concerned that a protocol handling flaw in Firefox could have implications for the security of data held within Google and, possibly, other web applications. The flaw, involving the handling of the "jar:" protocol by Firefox, gives rise to cross-site scripting attacks. No patch is available through there …

Software & Security 12 Nov 16:45
Windows Server 2008 to come in 8 flavors

Viridian gets a name and a $28 price tag

Microsoft is hashing out the finalized details today on the oft-delayed Windows Server 2008. Most notably, Microsoft will release eight SKUs of the platform when it ships in late February 2008. Only some will include the Viridian hypervisor — which has been renamed Hyper-V. Users can choose to go with or without the hypervisor …

Enterprise 12 Nov 19:40
Chinese Trojan on Maxtor HDDs spooks Taiwan

Ghost in the machine

Confirmation that a Maxtor hard disk drive was infected with a Trojan by a manufacturing sub-contractor in China is spooking Taiwanese authorities, one of the countries where examples of the infected kit have begun to appear. As first reported by El Reg in September a pre-installed Trojan named AutoRun-AH was discovered by …

Software & Security 12 Nov 20:17
Diversity attacks Top500 supercomputer list

SC07 While IBM keeps gloating

The latest Top 500 Supercomputer list has arrived, reflecting a rather vibrant market for the highest performing systems. A refreshed version of IBM's BlueGene/L system at Lawrence Livermore National Lab remains the top overall machine. It's been number one since 2004, which must be a source of endless joy at both Big Blue and …

Enterprise 12 Nov 21:26
Symantec begins round of layoffs

Unspecified number to get axe this week

Symantec is laying off an unspecified number of employees this week, the security software company has confirmed. The security firm would not specify the number of jobs to be culled, or the departments targeted for the cuts. "Symantec continues to have a strong focus on controlling its costs and has set cost savings targets …

IT Channel 12 Nov 23:10
Holiday debut for Oracle 11g middleware bundle

OpenWorld Relative promise

Oracle will take a step closer towards launching its next major middleware suite - Fusion - in the next few weeks by releasing a preview that targets developers. The database giant promises a preview edition of Oracle Fusion Middleware 11g for seven million members of the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) "before the Holiday …

Enterprise 12 Nov 23:48