hsyq8xg@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
wrote:
> www.gcn.com/print/27_8/46117-1.html
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> Interesting quotes --
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> =93We have achieved the promises of Moore=92s Law,=94
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> =93Much more pervasive now is the problem with software.=94
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> =93Software is getting bigger and more complex,"
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> "The Windows Vista operating system is so much bigger than its
> predecessors, that it is not any faster even though processing speeds
> have increased.=94
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> =3D =3D =3D
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
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> DOD wants apps up to speed
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> Despite hardware advances, complex code and heavy traffic put a drag
> on systems Bloated operating systems and applications are preventing
> military organizations from getting sufficient speed from their
> information technology systems, according to several speakers at a
> recent Navy IT Day in Wa****ngton.
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> =93We have achieved the promises of Moore=92s Law,=94 the decades-old a=
xiom
> that processing power would roughly double every 18 to 24 months, said
> Chris Miller, the Navy=92s domain lead for command, control,
> communications, computers and intelligence (C4I).
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> =93Much more pervasive now is the problem with software.=94
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> =93Software is getting bigger and more complex,=94 Miller said. =93The
> Windows Vista operating system is so much bigger than its
> predecessors, [but] it is not any faster, even though processing
> speeds have increased.=94
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> Elizabeth Sedlacek, director of information systems and infrastructure
> at the Marine Corps Systems Command, echoed Miller=92s complaint.
> =93Windows 95 required 50M of hard drive space,=94 she said. =93Vista
> requires 15G.=94
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> Part of the problem is that Moore=92s Law isn=92t the only one in the I=
T
> universe.
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> Sedlacek said increased resource requirements from the multiplication
> of software code illustrate an adaptation of Parkinson=92s Law: softwar=
e
> will expand to fill the resources available to it. The original
> Parkinson=92s Law states that work would expand to fill the time
> available. A corollary to Parkinson=92s Law states that software
> eventually reaches a coefficient of inefficiency, meaning that it gets
> so large that it no longer processes data effectively.
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> Sedlacek summarized her conundrum by citing yet another law.
=93Wirth=92=
s
> Law states that software gets faster slower than hardware gets
> faster,=94 she said. According to Wirth=92s law, then, software will
> always lag behind processing capacity.
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> But it wasn=92t always so. =93In the 1970s and 1980s, hardware processi=
ng
> power was wanting, and programmers had to code effectively and
> efficiently in order to get done what we needed to get done,=94 Sedlace=
k
> said. =93Now that capacity has increased and the software industry is
> much larger, developers want to put lots of features on software and
> to do it quickly in order to gain a competitive advantage. Efficiency
> of coding is no longer a priority.=94
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> A problem the Marines face, for example, is that they rarely operate
> in a resource-rich environment.
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> Marines are on expedition-like missions when they deploy, Sedlacek
> said, and they typically operate with a minimal footprint in areas of
> limited bandwidth. They rely on small handheld devices for information
> and communications.
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> She challenged industry to help solve the problem.
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> Aside from software coding, agencies could address the problem through
> more efficient data management.
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> Miller suggested that the Navy needs a data strategy for how it
> expands applications. Richard Hull, chief scientist at Modus Operandi,
> agreed in an interview with GCN that getting smarter about collecting
> and processing data will help software work more efficiently.
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> =93Software gets slower because the data operating over a network is
> increasing faster than computer processing rates,=94 Hull said.
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> Some satellites generate several gigabytes of data per second, Hull
> said. =93The next generation may be terabytes of information per
> second,=94 he said. =93If a computer has to deal with 100 times or 1,00=
0
> times the amount of data today than it did yesterday, it=92s going to b=
e
> swamped.=94
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> Hull suggested two strategies to cope with the glut of data. One
> involves prioritizing so that only the data most relevant to the
> mission is actually processed.
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> =93A weather information system may have collected temperature once per=
> hour, yielding 24 readings per day,=94 he said. =93Then a new technolog=
y
> comes along allowing you to collect a new temperature reading every
> second. That=92s 600 times more information than you had before.
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> But that doesn=92t mean you need to analyze it all in depth. You=92re
> really just interested in changes or anomalies.=94
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> Using semantic architectures to analyze and filter data sets up
> hierarchies of data and processing that can help ensure that only the
> most interesting data climbs the ladder for in-depth analysis. =93You
> might have a network of 64 computers filtering the data and passing up
> relevant data to a level consisting of 16 computers and then to eight
> computers,=94 Hull said. =93This can filter out a lot of junk and provi=
des
> a higher degree of fidelity in information collecting and analysis.=94
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> Another possible solution is to use cloud computing schemes, he said.
> Cloud computing refers to the ability to construct ad hoc networks of
> computers that can share resources to tackle tough computing
> challenges.
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> An organization might have 10,000 computers at its disposal. Cloud
> computing provides a management structure by which, for example, 1,000
> of those machines might be aggregated to solve a particular problem.
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> =93It could take a year to build a network of
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> 1,000 computers,=94 Hull said, =93but the cloud computing architecture
> allows this to be done quickly.=94
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> Another potential solution comes in the form of muticore processing,
> essentially assigning pieces of the puzzle to different processors
> running simultaneously on a single device. There are limitations to
> this approach, as there are with cloud computing, because most
> applications are single-threaded, Sedlacek said. Muticore central
> processing units do not increase computing power when the applications
> can=92t be divvied up into discrete tasks.
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> The premise of multicore computing is that the computing capacity of
> microchips is leveling off and that the computing power inherent in
> existing machines must be maximized and optimized. Making that happen
> requires programmers to accomplish two things, said Joey Sevin, Navy
> programs manager at Mercury Federal Systems. They must develop a
> greater understanding of computer hardware, and they must do something
> about how they write software.
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> =93It requires people to think differently about applications and how t=
o
> write them,=94 Sevin said.
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> =93Programmers are encouraged to throw off code quickly, but in the end=
> this is very inefficient when the application is single-threaded.=94
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> Sevin said the solution is to use middleware that can coordinate
> messaging among multiple processors. =93What needs to happen is the
> adoption of a standard=94 for a message passing interface, he said.
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> MPIs would allow existing computers to distribute tasks across their
> existing processors and boost their processing power. The effect of
> distributing computing assignments across multiple processors also has
> the effect of making the software less complex, Sevin said.
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> Mercury is working on developing multiprocessor solutions for
> processing sensor data.
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> Because data collection platforms are getting smaller and more
> complex, Mercury wants to pool processing power to sup****t multiple
> missions.
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> =93The idea is to create an environment adaptive to different
> situations,=94 Sevin said. An unmanned aerial vehicle =93may go out on =
a
> mission.
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> When it finishes its job and transmits its data, the computing asset
> may be reallocated to some other mission in another location and with
> a different type of sensor.=94
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> This type of system is designed to handle two problems inherent in the
> collection and transmission of sensor data: latency and throughput.
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> Latency refers to the need for computing to function in real time.
> Throughput problems arise when the volume of data overwhelms
> processors and causes delays.
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> What sort of solution would the Marine Corps be most interested in?
> Sedlacek leaned toward simpler and leaner software. She urged industry
> to adopt open, modular and scalable software designs and to avoid
> =93featuritis.=94 She also suggested that the Marine Corps might develo=
p
> incentives for lean software design, and she urged software developers
> to adopt the YAGNI principle: You Ain=92t Gonna Need It, so don=92t cod=
e
> it.
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> =3D =3D =3D
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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
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> www.gcn.com/print/27_8/46117-1.html
They (USN) must be using that POS toy os linux cause no where does it=20
say they're using Vista.
Frank
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