Hasta La Gadget!

Forget Windows 8, Windows Server 2012 is where it’s at… if you’re a corporate IT manager, that is. Microsoft has just posted the finished version of its suit-and-tie OS for immediate sale in download form. Not surprisingly given Microsoft’s big cloud push, the emphasis with the upgrade is on improving how well the software scales for internet hosting — the company wants one common backbone that can handle as little as a small e-mail server to large-scale Azure deployments and virtualization. Server 2012 is also defined by what you won’t find: while the Metro-style interface from the platform’s Windows 8 cousin shows its face in the Essentials version, it’s noticeably stripped down and goes away in the more advanced tiers. The real shakeup for some might just be the new price points, which drop the cost by a large amount for offices that don’t need more than a slice of what the all-out Datacenter edition has to offer. We’ll admit that most of our attention as end users will be focused on what happens several weeks from now, but if you’re one of those rare server operators that can’t wait to start testing a new OS release almost immediately, you’ve got a head start on most of us.

Filed under: Desktops, Internet, Software

Microsoft delivers Windows Server 2012, puts the enterprise on cloud 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 13:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The next NAS has been revealed by Synology with the DiskStation DS213+, a 2-bay device with full-featured storage for businesses both medium and small. This device is “the first 2013 model” as they say, bringing on a dual-core 1.067 GHz processor to make both reading and writing take on the next generation of file sharing. This device also employs a brand new System Hibernation mode for major reductions in power consumption.

With Synology’s new System Hibernation mode, the DiskStation DS213+ is able to actively listen for network activity while consuming only tiny amounts of power. When it detects network activity, it’s able to quickly resume full operations. In System Hibernation mode, this machine requires just 2.64 watts of energy consumption.

When the device is in full operation mode, this device attains average read speeds of 110.36 MB/sec, while write speeds average at 84.31 MB/sec – both of these numbers are under RAID 1 configuration in a Windows environment. With AES 256-bit encrypted r/w speeds you’ll have 49.6 MB/sec for read and 24.7 MB/sec for write.

The DS213+ includes a a 64bit floating-point unit to boost the speed at which you’re able to decode and encode on the daily. Another bonus here is the DS213+’s upgraded surveillance environment with the ability to stream 12 channels of high definition IP camera all at the same time.

This device also has two USB 3.0 ports, one eSATA port, and a full-sized SD card slot. Inside you’ve got a noise dampening design and a 92 mm system fan for next-level airflow with just 19.9 dB(A) of noise. Like every other Synology NAS Server you’ll be working with DiskStation Manager 4.0 (DSM 4.0), and the whole system is available this week around the world wherever fine Synology products are sold!

[via Synology]

Synology DiskStation DS213+ 2-bay NAS goes big for small businesses is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Data backups come in all shapes and sizes. For some, they take the form of external hard drives or a slice of the amorphous cloud. As for Facebook, its upcoming solution is low-power deep-storage hardware contained within a 62,000 square-foot building in Prineville, Oregon near its existing Beaver State data center. Unofficially referred to as “Sub-Zero,” the facility will store a copy of the social network’s data in case its primary servers need to be restored in an emergency. Rather than continuously power HDDs that are only occasionally used, the new setup can conserve energy by lighting-up drives just when they’re needed. One of the company’s existing server racks eats up around 4.5 kilowatts, while those at Sub-Zero are each expected to consume approximately 1.5 kilowatts once they’re up and running. Tom Furlong, Facebook’s vice president of site operations, told Wired that there are hopes to create a similar structure alongside the firm’s North Carolina data center. Since the Prineville project is still being planned, Zuckerberg & Co. have roughly six to nine months to suss out all the details before your photos are backed up at the new digs.

Filed under: Storage, Internet

Facebook to backup its servers with low-power storage devices at ‘Sub-Zero’ data center originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Aug 2012 20:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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During a trip to Switzerland, my family started off on a day hike to reach the nearby foothills of a mountain. It looked doable, but as time passed the range seemed to recede before our approach. After many hours we turned around, having apparently failed to close any distance.

Crossing from now to the future in technology can likewise seem illusory. When we scrutinize and celebrate each tiny incremental invention as if it were a milestone, we lose track of time as if we were counting grains of sand dropping through an hourglass. Game-changing inventions are rare, separated by epochs in which progress adds up to a lot of sameness. Futurism is an unforgiving business. But sometimes, as in the cases of cloud computing and media convergence, redemption comes with patience.

Continue reading Editorial: The future comes slowly, but revolutions are worth waiting for

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Household, Internet

Editorial: The future comes slowly, but revolutions are worth waiting for originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 13 Aug 2012 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last year, Google launched its PageSpeed Service, aiming to improve our experience across the web while reportedly deferring its own financial interests. The concept was sound — similar services like Akamai work to accelerate web browsing by caching pages in much the same way — but there’s always room for improvement. The latest PageSpeed beta uses some straightforward techniques to improve performance even further, using a new rewriter called “Cache and Prioritize Visible Content.” Using this new tool, your browser will load content that appears “above the fold” before fetching text and photos that would be initially hidden on the page, while also prioritizing other content ahead of Javascript, which often isn’t needed as quickly as more basic elements. Finally, for pages that contain HTML that isn’t cacheable, such as when personalized info is returned, standard portions of the site are cached and displayed immediately, while other content loads normally. The new tool isn’t a perfect fit for every webpage, but we’ll take a boost wherever we can get it.

Filed under: Internet

Google updates PageSpeed Service so you don’t waste precious seconds waiting for pages to load originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Aug 2012 11:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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