[SecurityRatty] tag: mitchell

Interop NY: Cloud Language: The Taxonomy of On-Demand Computing

Wed, 17 Sep 2008 14:25:32 +0000

This session on cloud computing was presented by Peter Laird of Oracle Corporation. Peter is a lead architect for the WebCenter product family. He previously worked with BEA as an architect for SaaS efforts. He also blogs at Laird On Demand.

Defining Cloud Computing

Cloud computing is a very active community. The Google Group gets 600 posts per month and many bloggers are covering the space. However, “cloud computing” is impossible to define in a way that satisfies everyone (or even most). Cloud computing is not alone in this controversy, consider the definition and meaning of “Web 2.0″, “mashups” or “RESTful architecture”. All of these terms are relatively recent. According to Google Trends, these terms became popular to the general public sometime between 2005 and 2007:

Web 2.0 - often confused with RIA, AKA Social Computing, Long-Tail Apps, Crowdware (2005 by O’Reilly Media)
Mashup - made popular by Google Maps, AKA Composite/Situational Apps. (2005)
REST - Has a strict definition, but many don’t understand it and abuse the term. (2006 by R. Fielding)
Cloud computing - collides with many other terms, such as SaaS, Grid, Utility, PaaS, etc. (2007)

The definition of cloud computing is in progress:

There’s a Darwinian evolution of the exact definition of cloud computing running around. We’re about a country mile away from “knowing when I see it”, which is excellent progress. The cloud to everyone’s silver-lining has enough material to write a 3 volume desktop reference at this point. - Michael Cote, June 2008

Definition #1 - “Cloud computing is the realisation of Internet (”Cloud”) based development and use of computer technology (”Computing”) delivered by an ecosystem of providers. - Sam Johnston, July 2008

Definition #2 - “Cloud computing = network computing. I love the idea of cloud computing, the next evolution of the most network intensive architecture possible, but one that if it works well, is transparent. It’s all about the transparency.” - Douglas Gourlay, Cisco, May 2008

Definition #3 - “There seems to be a group myopia around so-called “cloud computing” and its definitions. What we’re really talking about are “cloud services” of which, “computing” is only a subset…Cloud services are not SaaS. They are far more akin to web services…” - Randy Bias, neoTactics, May 2008

(Anti-)Definition #4 - “Note that I refer to cloud services, not to the could. I am not interested in defining cloud as a term, because I don’t think it’s very useful. For those of us in the distributed computing’s pace

The Working Definition (Winner!):

“…the notion of providing easily accessible compute and storage resources on a pay-as-you-go, on-demand basis, from a virtually infinite infrastructure managed by someone else. As a customer, you don’t know where the resources are, and for the most part, you don’t care. What’s really important is the capability to access your application anywhere, move it freely and easily, and inexpensively add resources for instant scalability.” - Mitchell Crandell, Rightscale, June 2008

Taxonomies of the Cloud Space

Taxonomies are useful to provide insight into a market. It classifies a multitude of players into a smaller bucket.

Andreessen’s Platforms - September 2007

Provided an early taxonomy model for emerging cloud platforms

Platform being a system that can be programmed

Access API - platform that provides web service endpoints
Plug-In API - platform invokes your code, that you have deployed remotely
Runtime Environment - your code runs inside the platform’s process space.

Mehta 11 Layer Stack, April 2008

Facilities (space, power, cooling)
Network
Hardware (e.g. servers Amazon EC2 runs)
Hardware virtualization (e.g. Xen for EC2) - optional
O/S (e.g. Linux)
Systems Management (e.g., tools to manage EC2 instances)
Application Middleware (e.g., MySQL on EC2)
Application Code
Application APIs / Web Services
GUI for Application
GUI for Application Development / Customization

Croll Cloud Stack, June 2008

7 layer stack within Turnkey app and Generic Platform.

Turnkey app

SaaS
Extensible app
Generic IDE
Constrained APIs
App Cluster
Virtual Data Center
Virtual Servers

Generic Platform

The bottom of Alistair’s stack includes “root access “style compute clouds.

Robert Anderson, July 2008

3 layer stack

Software (SaaS)
Platform (PaaS)
Infrastructure (IaaS)

This is the model taxonomy for this session.

Related Concepts and Terms

Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Hardware as a Service (HaaS) are synonyms to cloud infrastructure.
Virtualization
Hosting
Autonomic computing
Distributed computing
Grid computing

Cloud Applications

SaaS
S+S (Software+Services)
Managed Service Provider (MSP)

My excellent adventure at Black Hat

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 07:52:20 +0000

Yesterday was a great day at Black Hat. I would tell you all about it, but it seems Mitchell thinks that it best that we don't talk about what goes on here at Black Hat. Now, far be it from me to break "Cardinal Rules" (has anyone ever really thought about what exactly is a "cardinal rule"? Why not a Blue Jay or Falcon rule?) but if we can't talk about it, what good is it. I think Mitchell is confusing divulging the really juicy Vegas stuff, from just the mundane. So let me tell you about my excellent adventure yesterday at Black Hat.

I was one of the multitude standing in the back listening to Dan's DNS report. You probably have already heard that it is bigger and worse than originally reported. I than spent a lot of time with the Microsoft people talking to them about their security stuff. I will tell you that despite many who rail against Microsoft, these guys actually are doing a great job on security and in dealing with the security community. Much better than a certain company named for a fruit whose marketing people killed the presentation of their own security research team. After lunch I took a front row seat to watch Hoff present on virtual security. He has some very pretty slides, but the message was clear. Great presentation by Hoff. I spent most of the rest of the afternoon catching up with lots of security bloggers here. I am amazed by the number of us here at Black Hat.

Had a quiet dinner with Mitchell (I would tell you about it but you know about what happens in Vegas with Mitchell) and than went to the Breach party at the Shadow Bar (I love that place, but it was too hot last night). We than went over to the Fuente cigar bar and next thing you know we were joined by about 30 of our closest security blogger buddies. It was a great time and their are pictures floating around twitter somewhere of it. We talked and laughed into the late hours, winding up at the Augustus cafe again for an early breakfast.

Well it is back to the show today and another round of parties tonight. Ah, it is tough living the life ;-)

When the shoe is on the other foot

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:16:46 +0000

About to head over to morning sessions of Black Hat (OK, it started at 8am, but that is just an uncivil time for Las Vegas). Before I do, let me give you a quick recap of my first night on Black Hat. I didn’t get in until 10pm and got to my hotel about 11. Looked up a few security twits and saw that Mitchell Ashley, Martin McKeay, JJ and Ryan Russell were at the Cleopatra Barge at Caesars. I headed over there and met up. The night was on!

We had a quick drink and then headed over to the club Pure, where Fortify was having a party. Some how or another JJ, Ryan and I got to the VIP entrance and were headed in. Martin had to go upstairs and change out of his shorts. Mitchell that Colorado country bumpkin was not allowed in because he was wearing sandals. What to do? Leave Mitchell outside, all of us not go in? I went back to my old club hopping days for the answer. I went in with JJ. Went to the bar, took off my shoes and gave them to JJ. While I stood there in socks, she brought the shoes out to Mitchell, who put them on and got in the club. Watching JJ sneak out the shoes and Mitchell walk in holding his sandals was pretty funny. But it worked. We got away from the Fortify party as it was way too crowded. We found ourselves in my favorite part of Pure, the Pussycat Doll Lounge. Five minutes later out came the Pussycats. They put on a very hot show that had us all dancing and shouting.

After that we went to my usual late night spot at Black Hat, the Augustus cafe for breakfast. We met up with the Mogul and Hoff, who joined us. By now it was like 2:30am Vegas time (5:30 east coast time) and it was time for bed. I am staying at Paris, so had a nice walk but they did give me a LeMans suite which is very nice. I still get a little confused by rooms with bidets, but it is fun.

Well off to Black Hat for some learning!

Blogging as therapy

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 21:13:11 +0000

As some of you know, my friend Mitchell Ashley and his wife Mary Ellen have been battling against breast cancer for over 3 years now. It has been a roller coaster ride for both of them and I have seen first hand how much courage it has taken for Mitchell to deal with this scourge, let alone the courage that Mary Ellen has in battling this disease. Though Mitchell has never made a secret of it, he has not made it very public either. That has now changed with a new blog that Mitchell started call breastcancerforhusbands.com.

Mitchell wants to share his experience as the "other" spouse in this life and death battle that too many couples face. He is looking to make it a resource for others faced with a similar battle. But there is part of doing this which is therapeutic for Mitchell as well. Talking about what he is feeling and going through helps him deal with the emotions and toll it takes. At the same time he is providing resources to those who may be in need.

I applaud Mitchell for being brave enough to come forward and face these demons publicly. Though we do not work together every day, Mitchell and I still speak almost every day. I know that he and Mary Ellen fight this each and every day and am constantly amazed at their faith in God and courage. If you get a chance, check out the blog and support Mitchell, Mary Ellen and the rest of the people who do battle with this terrible disease every day.

Ah, the joys of blogging!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:10:37 +0000

People ask why do you blog? In the final analysis I blog because I like to. Every once in a while though you get a comment from a reader that reminds you why it is all worth while. Here is one I received today from a person alleging to be a Julie Peterson:

Julie Peterson commented on Safe Access wins SC Magazine Award Reader Trust Award, again!:

Dressed in a tuxedo and chewing those rubber chicken breasts at the award ceremony is your idea of fun? Aren't you the same mentally retarded idiot who said in 2007 that you hated SC awards and that anyone can buy the SC awards with a sponsorship? Why do you think people give over $10k as sponsorship for the SC awards? Who is watching the awards except other vendors? By the way you suck big time with your rubbish blogs. Didn't networld magazine give you the boot within 3 months? Think before you write Mr. mental. Well done on winning, but please, dont give the impression that you cant buy an award from SC! And don't forget to eat your medication pills tonight, otherwise from your hair it is obvious you ran away from a mental hospital.

First of all Julie, let me thank you for your kind words! You made the statement and let me answer your questions for you.

1. Is dressing in a tuxedo and chewing rubber chicken breasts my idea of fun? Actually, I do enjoy dressing up in a tuxedo once in a while. The food at the awards ceremony was actually pretty good, if not diet friendly, as were the cocktails. The entertainment at the awards show was pretty good as well. Catching up with friends you had not seen for a while and networking with industry peers was pretty worthwhile too. Maybe your idea of a good time is putting on a bowling shirt and swilling a couple of beers and pretzels before going home and undressing into your dirty ripped underwear. Hey I say to each his own.

2. I am not the idiot who in 2007 said that I hated the SC awards and that anyone can buy the SC awards with a sponsorship. I am the idiot who said that about the InfoSec Products Guide award by the folks at Silicon Valley Communications. In contrast I have always said nice things about the SC awards. I actually have a lot of respect for them. Also for the record, StillSecure has never been a sponsor of the SC Magazine awards. I have seen sponsors who did not win awards as well. So looks like you got that one wrong Julie, but it happens.

3. ???Networld??? magazine didn???t give me the boot within 3 months. They never had the chance, as I never wrote for ???networld, network world or any other magazine. Maybe you have me confused with Mike Rothman or Mitchell Ashley, who do and did write for Network World. But let me assure you that I do try and think before I write.

4. Regarding what medication pills I take and does my hair make it obvious I ran away from a mental hospital. I don???t take any medication, maybe I should. Better living through chemistry you know ;-) As to my hair, what can I say. At this stage I am happy I have any hair at all. My wife always says when I get my haircut it looks like a Buzz Lightyear style, but no one ever mentioned a mental hospital look to it. In any event sorry it doesn???t appeal to you.

So who is this troll Julie Peterson? Could it be Richard Stiennon in drag? Maybe his wife striking out? Maybe another one of my fans? Who knows, but these sort of comments keep me juiced about blogging and remind me of how much fun I have doing it. Thanks again Julie!

Ah, the joys of blogging!

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 13:12:23 +0000

Julie Peterson commented on Safe Access wins SC Magazine Award Reader Trust Award, again!:

Dressed in a tuxedo and chewing those rubber chicken breasts at the award ceremony is your idea of fun? Aren't you the same mentally retarded idiot who said in 2007 that you hated SC awards and that anyone can buy the SC awards with a sponsorship? Why do you think people give over $10k as sponsorship for the SC awards? Who is watching the awards except other vendors? By the way you suck big time with your rubbish blogs. Didn't networld magazine give you the boot within 3 months? Think before you write Mr. mental. Well done on winning, but please, dont give the impression that you cant buy an award from SC! And don't forget to eat your medication pills tonight, otherwise from your hair it is obvious you ran away from a mental hospital.

First of all Julie, let me thank you for your kind words! You made the statement and let me answer your questions for you.

3. “Networld” magazine didn’t give me the boot within 3 months. They never had the chance, as I never wrote for “networld, network world or any other magazine. Maybe you have me confused with Mike Rothman or Mitchell Ashley, who do and did write for Network World. But let me assure you that I do try and think before I write.

4. Regarding what medication pills I take and does my hair make it obvious I ran away from a mental hospital. I don’t take any medication, maybe I should. Better living through chemistry you know ;-) As to my hair, what can I say. At this stage I am happy I have any hair at all. My wife always says when I get my haircut it looks like a Buzz Lightyear style, but no one ever mentioned a mental hospital look to it. In any event sorry it doesn’t appeal to you.

Funny Radio Skit on Identity Theft

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 09:21:02 +0000

By Mitchell & Webb.

Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols is no Nobel economic laureate

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:09:15 +0000

You have to both admire and laugh at zealots and extremists no matter what guise they come in. Whether it be religion, politics or technology they find God's hand guiding you towards their position in every event, good or bad. A perfect example was brought to my attention by Michael Farnum. Steven J. Vaughan-Nichols, the resident Cyber Cynic and Linux zealot at ComputerWorld, has taken the current state of our economy as a message from God that Linux is on a messianic mission to save us from high gas prices, high food prices, the mortgage and credit crisis and those satan's in Redmond. Vaughan-Nichols says that by switching to Linux and other open source products you could save your company, your job and be more secure to boot!

Michael who is no Microsoft fan boy points out some obvious pitfalls with Vaughn-Nichols strategy. I am far from a Microsoft shill myself (now my friend Mitchell might be another story). I personally think it is ludicrous. One thing obvious is the cost of the switch. Economic cycles being what they are, by the time you actually planned and implemented this switch the economy would probably be back on the upswing and the economic reasons for undertaking this drastic a move would be gone. Than you would have the expense of moving over including training and downtime. I think by the time you are done with doing all this, if the economy hasn't killed your company, the cost of switching will!

I guess that is why Vaughan-Nichols is just a fanatic on ComputerWorld and noone has nominated him for any Noble prizes or confused him with John Kenneth Galbraith.

The Microsoft Bloggers Network

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:17:07 +0000

My podcast co-host and friend Mitchell Ashley started a bloggers network for people who write about anything Microsoft. It is not just security related, but anything to do with Microsoft. If you do, the Microsoft Bloggers Network If you would like to join the network, you need to send Mitchell and email here. I am joining today.

Don't use Clickcaster for podcast hosting

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 10:41:23 +0000

Image via Wikipedia

When I find a new product or service that I think is good I am only too happy to let the world know it on my blog. For the past almost 2 years in the notes of every episode of our podcast, I mention and thank ClickCaster for hosting our podcast.

I originally was turned on to ClickCaster by Scott Converse out in Boulder, Co who was the founder of ClickCaster. When Scott realized that a free model was not going to pay the bills, he instituted a pay model for podcast hosting. I was only too happy to pay for the great service and stats I was receiving. Well a few months ago Scott and team sold ClickCaster to focus on their new project, Medioh!.

The new owners, nexplore promised no changes and same great service. Since then the stats stopped working, it became harder and harder to post new content and the site was down more than it was up. Finally after getting no satisfaction from ClickCaster I had no choice but to look for another host. Mitchell and I have chosen Pod-o-matic to host the podcast going forward.

Of course we don't have all of the episodes moved over yet because ClickCaster isn't even up enough for us to grab all the episodes. But most of them are up at pod-o-matic and we have already repointed the feedburner/iTunes feed. So from here on you can hear us at pod-o-matic.

If you are looking to host your podcast, you don't have to use pod-o-matic, but don't use ClickCaster!