About a week and a half ago, Myriad Group announced an updated version of the Dalvik VM for Android, appropriately called the Dalvik Turbo VM.  Running the Dalvik Turbo VM, Android devices can experience a 2x – 3x performance boost in their applications.

What does this mean for Android users?

With any Android device, it’s pretty apparent that they are performing below what one would expect from their hardware specs.  This is because Android was designed to run on a wide range of devices, including devices with limited resources and processing power.

If your phone were to be updated with the new Dalvik Turbo VM, you wouldn’t experience nearly as much lag, applications would open faster and perform better, and you would actually see improved battery life (all things that as an Android user I would LOVE to see.)

How does it work?

The Dalvik VM is a virtual machine that runs in the background on all Android devices.  It acts like a middleman between the applications and the OS itself.  One of the things that makes Android so attractive to developers is that it’s apps are written in Java, the Dalvik VM then takes the Java code and converts it on the fly into code that Android can use.  The Dalvik Turbo VM is an enhanced version of the original VM that makes the conversion process a whole lot speedier.  The new Turbo VM is said to be 100% compatible with Google’s stock VM so any existing apps would be able to see the benefits from this as well.

A demo of the Dalvik Turbo VM vs Dalvik VM on a pair of Android Dev Phone 2’s.

How can I get it?!

Sadly that’s not such an easy thing to answer.  While Myriad hasn’t given an official answer, it is believed that the devices that would most benefit from the new Dalvik Turbo VM (T-Mobile G1 and MyTouch 3G) won’t be seeing it and it will only be included on new retail devices (which we should see before the end of the year.)  That said, many of the Android faithful (myself included) are hoping to see the new VM show up in the popular Cyanogenmod Android ROM amongst others in the near future.

If you’d like to see some more info on the Dalvik Turbo VM, check these links for some impressions and other demo videos:

Myriad Group Announcement

Myriad Group Youtube Channel

Engadget Hands-on at MWC

Everyone seems to be touting HTML5 video as the “open” alternative to the proprietary Flash plugin required for .flv playback in the browser. But how open is H.264, the codec that powers HTML5 video, and the current pick for encoding video for online delivery? Using H.264 as the codec behind HTML5 video sours things a bit for me. H.264 is encumbered by software patents; to develop or distribute a player or encoder for H.264 you might have to pay a licensing fee to MPEG-LA. Even though MPEG LA announced last week (PDF) that H.264 will remain fee-less for free internet video through 2016, this is not the same as being free or open. MPEG-LA can still go after people that produce the software to encode or decode H.264. And MPEG-LA is not just one organization, it’s a collection of patent holders that have their own agendas.

All this is a bit of a slap in the face to the open standards that power the web. Imagine if you had to pay a half million dollars to create or display JPEGs, GIFs, or HTML… The only people that would be able to afford to make software for the web would be huge companies. But what are our alternatives? Beyond Ogg Theora and Matroska, the pickings are slim. These codecs are open and free, but not necessarily better than H.264. Plus it would be next to impossible to compete with the marketing machine of Apple behind H.264.

Open and free standards have been what has made the Internet successful since its inception. I think it’s important that users understand this so that the Internet of the future cannot be controlled by corporations with enough cash to cover licensing fees.

First off, Buzz has some serious potential. Google gained an incredible amount of ground on Facebook and Twitter with this launch, and I do sense a shark-jumping moment for Facebook. Once the Google App ecosystem takes off, and social games and e-commerce get integrated, there will be a huge erosion in Facebook market share.  People want one thing, one place to go, and Gmail is already mandatory.

1. Lets start off easy here: Mobile. Google, you own the platform, how hard would it be to launch with an Android app? In the time it took to do the marketing piece on the mobile site, Google could have developed a full-fledged app. Instead I have an “above ground only” slow-loading mobile web page. HTML5 isn’t quite here yet – and Android 1.6 is not supported.
2. Two way integration! Getting Tweets in Buzz is great, but I still have to go out to Twitter or TweetDeck to post. If I had the option to choose which networks my updates appeared on from within Buzz (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc), I would never have to leave Gmail… except for…
3. Where is Facebook? They have a strong API and a straightforward authentication service. Connect to Facebook and never make me go there again. Aggregate and publish (see above).
4. Buzz for Biz. I know it’s coming for Google Apps, but get it going already! How about full integration with LinkedIn – a CRM app would be a really interesting mash-up, as well as bringing all my connections into my address book. No more stale email addresses or phone numbers.
5. OK, I saved crazy for last. Google Profile. I am the strongest believer in an open information society – if everyone knows everything about everyone, then we are all equal. I understand that’s a little overboard, but why should I hide my information when it will only make the web more relevant to me, and get us to our ultimate destination quicker.  But with Buzz, your Google Profile went from obscurity to super relevant. So, quick inventory: Google has information about my friends, my browsing/search history (not to mention DNS info), my purchase history, my communications, the news I’m reading, and my documents. Now they want to know my age, sex, where I grew up? Are you crazy? Google is holding ALL the cards now. They keep repeating “don’t be evil” but you know what they say about absolute power… (did I mention my location?)

If history is any indicator of the future, Google will evolve and add features and services. They have done so consistently since inception, and people will choose convenience above all else, including quality and privacy. And I guess I’m one of them. See you on Buzz.

And if you disagree, see you in the comments!

To me, this isn’t so much a debate about Flash/ActionScript 3 versus HTML5, but rather another win for HTML + Flash/AS3! It’s all about creativity as a developer. Bad coding leads to poor applications, proper coding leads to a proper experience. It is a common pitfall that most people think “HTML or Flash”. I see this as more power for the mixing of technologies, raising the cap on what can and can’t be done in a web browser.

Adobe’s technologies provide clear benefits to the end user, but also (and perhaps more importantly) the developer. As a developer, I can utilize the unique capabilities of the .flv format to protect content in some fashion or for metadata injection, all of which can be done on the fly and server-side, if implemented using Flash Media Server (FMS).  I’m also really excited about Flash Player 10.1 – it brings the ability to scale all the way from mobile to HD flavors, and will be available on smartphones and other Internet-connected mobile devices.

This is about more than just video delivery, it is the platform combined with the tools, and Adobe has been making tremendous strides in going open-source with them. Adobe is providing a cohesive environment that is deeply integrated with some of the best tools out there for content creation. HTML5 is just starting out, and the gap between the tools and technology is too immense to make it the competition. Flash has fantastic penetration and Adobe can rapidly evolve the technology. Remember, HTML5 still is not a standard – in fact we are looking at sometime in 2012 before we’ll see a final recommendation. These are cohesive technologies and they are here to stay for a very long time, which means plugins will be around for a long time too. Simply put,  plugin implementations have the potential to penetrate faster, and as history has shown they often do. Plugins forge the path, and the Web comes right behind them to standardize those paths.

If you want to better understand what the big picture is regarding Adobe and its technologies, I recommend reading a little bit about:

OpenScreenProject
Catalyst
SVG and FXG
Flex Data Services
RTMFP (Real Time Media Flow Protocol)
Binary Sockets

When I started searching for a way to connect an audio feed to a gateway router, I found that there were no great turnkey solutions. What I did find is that there is a way to make use of an available FXO port to bring a live feed into the system with some inexpensive parts. The solution I have deployed requires a surface mount RJ 45, a chassis mount RCA jack, and a stereo 1/8″ mini to RCA adaptor. All of these pieces can be found at a nearby electronics parts store and purchased for under $20. The FXO port and an iPod will set you back some but if you want easy control of your hold music it may be worth it.

Build the Adaptor

To make the adaptor, open up the surface mount box and figure out how you will attach the RCA jack. In one case I used a drill bit to make a hole for it, in another case I found a form factor where the notch for a cat 5 cable fit the connector perfectly. You may also find a general purpose surface mount with modular fittings where an RCA “snap in” would snap right in.

Once you’ve sorted that you will need a pair of wires from either a solid or stranded piece of cat 5. Punch these down to pins 4 and 5 of the RJ45 and solder the other side to the RCA jack.

When you are done it should look like this.

Adaptor wiring detail. Though the jack in this configuration is an RJ 45 you can use a standard RJ11 phone cord to connect between the adaptor and the FXO port.

Configuring the Voice Gateway

Configuring the voice gateway is pretty straightforward:

1. Create a DN for the MOH call out with an unused multicast address

ephone-dn 274
number 1 no-reg primary
moh ip 239.12.13.1 port 2000 out-call 899

2. Configure the available FXO port remain open to the iPod

voice-port 0/3/3
signal loopStart live-feed
input gain 2
description To MoH Live Feed

3. Create a dial peer to connect to the FXO port

dial-peer voice 55 pots
destination-pattern 899
port 0/3/3

4. Configure CME to use the multicast for MOH

telephony-service
multicast moh 239.12.13.1 port 2000

Then Shut/No shut the voice port to invoke the change.

I have been using one of the built in USB ports on our gateway here at Control Group to power the iPod which turns out to be very convenient.

Safety and Other Considerations

There are some very important caveats.

1. The adaptor I describe is potentially dangerous. If you were to connect an iPod to a POTS line or an FXS port feeding a battery signal you could damage the iPod or the device connected to it. You could also receive a serious electrical shock.
2. The use of copyrighted material for Music on Hold can be a violation of the rights of the copyright owner.
3. The adaptor will only work with one channel of audio from the iPod. If you use a mono 1/8″ to RCA cable it will short out the other channel.

These issues need to be minded if you would consider this solution. Also, keep in mind that people’s taste in music varies widely. Implement Music on Hold and you will find out just how much!

Miles Green is a Senior Network Engineer at Control Group and worked as a Musician and Recording Engineer in a previous life.

In a recent Cloudsourcing event we held at our offices in the Woolworth Building we had the opportunity to meet many people interested in migrating to the cloud. The most common questions that evening seemed to revolve around “is the cloud secure?” and “will this work for my industry?” Being Google Apps partners and now AWS partners we are able to address client concerns with confidence and provide solutions.

Finding cloud-based solutions and implementing those solutions on the enterprise level can be a challenging task as these are still relatively new technologies. Keeping this in mind, part of the process includes stepping down from the cloud and relying on our team of Project Managers, Account Managers and Engineers along with AWS Consultants. With a solid team we are able to guarantee that a client’s needs and expectations are met in a timely manner.

When you think about the potential for cloud computing, you start to realize the role AWS plays in this game. Cloud computing is just now starting to meet the needs of large corporations and the data center of the future may very well be cloud based. We look forward to forging ahead in this area with Amazon Web Services.

The Server Room

Annually, the single greatest consumer of electricity in your office is likely the server room. Between the power hungry server hardware, the UPS with its constant AC-to-DC conversion and the air conditioning running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365.25 days a year, all of that electricity use quickly adds up.

Hands-down, the easiest ways to save energy in your server room is to make sure your server room’s HVAC is doing its job as efficiently as possible. That means keeping the door closed at all times (and of course making sure there’s a door in the first place!) (many offices forget this part), keeping the HVAC system well-maintained, and cooling as small of a space as possible.

When buying buying new server hardware, Control Group can help you make the most efficient choices possible… this means anything from buying the right server for the right job (that eight-core print server might be overkill), to outfitting your new server with green-friendly hard drives which consume less power than standard drives. Control Group is an EPEAT Partner Reseller— EPEAT provides a “green” rating system for IT equipment based on a comprehensive criteria list.

The most efficient server room though, is no server room at all! As more and more businesses move aspects of their business to “the cloud,” they require less hardware onsite. Less hardware means lower electricity bills, which means money saved.

The Workstations

First off, if you still have any big bulky CRT monitors in your office, their time has most certainly come. They are big, ugly power hogs, and have no right to exist in 2009. No, not even on the intern’s computer in the janitorial closet. An LCD monitor will pay for itself in power consumption costs alone in under two years. When purchasing an LCD, consider looking into those which have LED-powered backlit displays. Not only do they consume even less power than LCDs using older CCFL technology, but they’re brighter, contain fewer harmful elements in their manufacturing process, and last longer to boot!

Pro-Tip: After you’ve replaced your CRT monitors, what do you do with them? Control Group works with Per Scholas, which is a local organization that recycles and re-uses computer equipment and works with New York City schools to provide students with their own computers as well as training.

Another great example of a small change that can make a big difference would be to make it office policy to power down computers at the end of the day (or at least the end of the week). For even more energy savings, consider flipping the switch on that power strip your computer is plugged into on top of powering down.

And for those employees who say that shutting down hurts their productivity, tell them to use Windows’ “hibernate” feature rather than the “shut down.” That will allow them to pick up right where they left off, with all of their AutoCAD windows and dozens of email drafts right where they left them.

The Office

One way Control Group saves energy around the office is that we have a “no personal printers” policy. We have three printers in the office: a black and white laser printer, and a color laser printer and a large format plotter to help us better support our architecture clients.

Not only does this centralized printing solution help save energy by avoiding having dozens of printers plugged in and on standby 24 hours a day, but it saves money on supplies—no more $18 ink cartridges—and saves us time from having to troubleshoot problematic printers (there’s a reason desktop printers are so cheap… they’re cheaply made and break constantly).

Perhaps most importantly, this printing setup also saves a lot of paper. Duplex printing (two-sided) is enabled on our laser printers and we have a dedicated “scrap paper” tray that we keep loaded with scrap paper, for those times when you need to print something but it doesn’t matter how it looks.

We may not be paperless yet, but we’re well on our way.

Finally, with all of the energy that your office is saving, consider moving over to wind power. Here in New York, ConEd offers a very competitive Wind Power for Business package. It’s 100% renewable energy and it’s easy to switch over.

While wind power may be 10-15% more expensive than coal, depending on how much you’ve managed to cut your overall power consumption, it’s entirely possible your company is still spending less on electricity than before even while using wind power. And on top of that, you can tell your customers you’re ahead of your competitors in reducing your company’s impact on the environment.

Early sketch of 174 Grand Street, by Loadingdock5

In the summer of 2008, we worked with Sam Bargetz of Loadingdock5 Architecture to redesign a client’s office. Our work required a creative approach to every aspect of the technology integration to achieve the sleek, modern appearance that the office design called for. Sam and his team were great to work with and we’ve kept in touch.

This year we were excited to learn that Loadingdock5 is attempting to build NYC’s first new building which fulfills the strict German “Passive House” standard. Passive Houses are airtight buildings that use heat from common household appliances and even your human body (!) for warmth. Every effort is made to conserve thermal energy, state-of-the-art heat exchangers are used to provide lots of fresh air.

We’ve been passing notes back and forth to Sam about the technology and are excited to follow his blog updates on the project.

We have been doing some work with with Amazon’s Elastic Computing Cloud (EC2) which allows us to create virtual machines in the cloud in a few seconds. These are great for hosting websites, and what’s cool about them is that if you get Slashdotted or experience a similar unexpected spike in traffic you can create new hosts immediately. Recently Amazon added a new service called Elastic Load Balancing (ELB) which can distribute load across hosts. We’ve been looking at this for some of our recent development and infrastructure projects.

I just read this description of how ELB works by Shlomo Swidler from his Cloud Developer Tips blog. It’s a great reference.

You pay for ELB by usage just like everything else at AWS. From Amazon: “You are charged at $0.025 per hour for each Elastic Load Balancer, plus $0.008 per GB of data transferred through an Elastic Load Balancer.” For reference, on a deployment project in 2008 our Engineering team used a Cisco load balancer which I imagine cost a few thousand bucks.

Cost isn’t the only advantage. These can be created and destroyed quickly and remotely, allowing us to work more efficiently and spend less time visiting data centers in the middle of nowhere. This leads to improved quality of service for our clients as we can spend more time consulting on future technology growth plans and less time troubleshooting servers in cold, loud data centers.

This blog post brought to you by the iced coffee I am enjoying in the comfort and quiet of my office while deploying virtual machines!

This tool is called iozone. iozone is open source and runs on a ton of operating systems (including Windows). It runs several tests which can take some time to complete but provide the best overall view of the capabilities of a piece of storage. For instance, iozone runs a write test with files of different sizes and with different size records (the amount of data written at a time). It does this over and over again with writes, reads, random writes, random reads, and so forth. Since it’s running all these tests you can see what sorts of operations will have good performance and which ones will not perform so well. Check out the iozone documentation here.

One really great thing about iozone is that the output it generates can be easily placed in a spreadsheet program like Excel to generate a great 3d diagram describing your storage. Here’s a diagram I generated from some tests on a Linux server.

Results of a write test with iozone

This particular server performed quite well with large files and a record size around 1 MB (interesting to note, this is the same storage from the lmdd post. Notice that the parameters I tested with there are the same as the best write that this disk can do according to iozone!).

If you’ve been following my posts on storage performance testing I hope you’ve learned about some new tools that you can use to see what’s going on. I use these on every deployment to make sure we’re giving our clients solutions that they can depend for performance and reliability. As always, let me know if you have any questions about these tools. Happy testing!