text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|May 17, 2005
|Filing date
|Oct 23, 2003
|Priority date
|Oct 7, 1999
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Charles Slater, Krishna Rao Chennapragada
|Original Assignee
|Cisco Technology, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (45), Non-Patent Citations (10), Referenced by (48), Classifications (15), Legal Events (5)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application is a continuation of application No. 09/415,375, filed Oct. 7, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,654,796, issued Nov. 25, 2003.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of data communications networks. More particularly, the present invention relates to Hypertext Transfer Protocol ("HTTP") redirection of configuration data for network devices.
2. Background
A network is a communication system that links two or more computers and peripheral devices, and allows users to access resources on other computers and exchange messages with other users. A network allows users to share resources on their own systems with other network users and to access information on centrally located systems or systems that are located at remote offices. It may provide connections to the Internet or to the networks of other organizations. The network typically includes a cable that attaches to network interface cards ("NICs") in each of the devices within the network. Users may interact with network-enabled software applications to make a network request, such as to get a file or print on a network printer. The application may also communicate with the network software, which may then interact with the network hardware to transmit information to other devices attached to the network.
A local area network ("LAN") is a network that is located in a relatively small physical area, such as a building, in which computers and other network devices are linked, usually via a wiring-based cabling scheme. A LAN typically includes a shared medium to which workstations attach and through which they communicate. LANs often use broadcasting methods for data communication, whereby any device on the LAN can transmit a message that all other devices on the LAN then "listen" to. However, only the device or devices to which the message is addressed actually receive the message. Data is typically packaged into frames for transmission on the LAN.
Currently, the most common LAN media is Ethernet, which traditionally has a maximum bandwidth of 10 Mbps. Traditional Ethernet is a half-duplex technology, in which each Ethernet network device checks the network to determine whether data is being transmitted before it transmits, and defers transmission if the network is in use. In spite of transmission deferral, two or more Ethernet network devices can transmit at the same time, which results in a collision. When a collision occurs, the network devices enter a back-off phase and retransmit later.
As more network devices are added to a LAN, they must wait more often before they can begin transmitting, and collisions are more likely to occur because more network devices are trying to transmit. Today, throughput on traditional Ethernet LANs suffers even more due to increased use of network-intensive programs, such as client-server applications, which cause hosts to transmit more often and for longer periods of time.
When a user 10 connects to a particular destination, such as a requested web page on a server 20, the connection from the user 10 to the server 20 is typically routed through several routers 12A-12D. Routers are internetworking devices. They are typically used to connect similar and heterogeneous network segments into Internetworks. For example, two LANs may be connected across a dial-up line, across the Integrated Services Digital Network ("ISDN"), or across a leased line via routers. Routers may also be found throughout the Internet. End users may connect to a local Internet Service Provider ("ISP") (not shown).
As the data traffic on a LAN increases, users are affected by longer response times and slower data transfers, because all users attached to the same LAN segment compete for a share of the available bandwidth of the LAN segment (e.g., 10 Mbps in the case of traditional Ethernet). Moreover, LANs commonly experience a steady increase in traffic even if the number of users remains constant, due to increased network usage of software applications using the LAN. Eventually, performance drops below an acceptable level and it becomes necessary to separate the LAN into smaller, more lightly loaded segments.
LANs are becoming increasingly congested and overburdened. In addition to an ever-growing population of network users, several factors have combined to stress the capabilities of traditional LANs, including faster computers, faster operating systems, and more network-intensive software applications.
There are two traditional approaches to relieving LAN congestion. The first is to simply install a faster networking technology, such as FDDI, ATM, or Fast Ethernet. However, these approaches are expensive to implement. The other traditional approach is to use bridges and routers to reduce data traffic between networks. This solution is also relatively expensive both in money and configuration time, and is only effective when inter-segment traffic is minimal. When inter-segment traffic is high, some bridges and routers can become a bottleneck due to their limited processing power. They also require extensive setup and manual configuration in order to maintain their performance. In addition, despite large buffers, packet loss is always a possibility.
Switching is a technology that alleviates congestion in Ethernet, Token Ring, and Fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI) and other similar LANs by reducing traffic and increasing bandwidth. LAN switches are designed to work with existing media infrastructures so that they can be installed with minimal disruption of existing networks.
A Media Access Control ("MAC") address is the unique hexadecimal serial number assigned to each Ethernet network device to identify it on the network. With Ethernet devices, this address is permanently set at the time of manufacture. Each network device has a unique MAC address, so that it will be able to receive only the frames that were sent to it. If MAC addresses were not unique, there would be no way to distinguish between two stations. Devices on a network monitor network traffic and search for their own MAC address in each frame to determine whether they should decode it or not. Special circumstances exist for broadcasting to every device on the network.
Ethernet uses variable-length frames of data to transmit information from a source to one or more destinations. Every Ethernet frame has two fields defined as the source and destination addresses, which indicate the MAC addresses of the network devices where a frame originated and where it is ultimately destined, respectively.
In the context of the present invention, the term "switching" refers to a technology in which a network device (known as a switch) connects two or more LAN segments. A switch transmits frames of data from one segment to their destinations on the same or other segments. When a switch begins to operate, it examines the MAC address of the frames that flow through it to build a table of known sources. If the switch determines that the destination of a frame is on the same segment as the source of the frame, it drops, or filters, the frame because there is no need to transmit it. If the switch determines that the destination is on another segment, it transmits the frame onto the destination segment only. Finally, using a technique known as flooding, if the destination segment is unknown, the switch transmits the frame on all segments except the source segment.
Logically, a LAN switch behaves similarly to a bridge, which is a different kind of network device. The primary difference is that switches have higher data throughput than bridges, because their frame forwarding algorithms are typically performed by application-specific integrated circuits ("ASICs") especially designed for that purpose, as opposed to the more general purpose (and relatively slower) microprocessors typically used in bridges. Like bridges, switches are designed to divide a large, unwieldy local network into smaller segments, insulating each segment from local traffic on other segments, thus increasing aggregate bandwidth while still retaining full connectivity. Switches typically have higher port counts than bridges, allowing several independent data paths through the device. This higher port count also increases the data throughput capabilities of a switch.
Because a switch maintains a table of the source MAC addresses received on every port, it "learns" to which port a station is attached every time the station transmits. Then, each packet that arrives for that station is forwarded only to the correct port, eliminating the waste of bandwidth on the other ports. Since station addresses are relearned every time a station transmits, if stations are relocated the switch will reconfigure its forwarding table immediately upon receiving a transmission from the stations.
Referring now to
Ethernet switch 200 also includes a frame buffer memory 210, 212, for each port, a source address table memory 220, discovery protocol logic 230, learning logic 240, forwarding logic 250, packet redirection logic 260, and a configuration and management interface 270. During operation, the learning logic 240 will look at the source address ("SA") within a received Ethernet frame and populate the Source Address Table ("SAT") memory 220 with three columns: MAC address 280, port number 282, and age 284. The MAC address is the same as the source address that a sender has embedded into the frame. The age item will be a date stamp to indicate when the last frame was received from a particular MAC SA. In the example shown in
Forwarding logic 250 examines at the destination address ("DA") of a received Ethernet frame. This now becomes the new MAC address, which is then compared with the entries in the SAT. Four different forwarding options are possible. If the destination address is a specific address, known as a "broadcast" address, the frame is destined for all ports on the network. In this case, the Ethernet switch will forward the frame to all ports, except the one on which the frame was received. A broadcast address is six bytes with all ones, or "FF.FF.FF.FF.FF.FF" in hexadecimal notation. If the MAC address is found in the SAT and the corresponding port number is different from the received port, the frame is forwarded to that particular port number only. If the MAC address is found in the SAT and the port number is the same as the received port number, the frame is not forwarded; instead, it is discarded. This is known as "filtering." The frame is discarded because the transmitting station and the receiving station are connected on the same shared LAN segment on that particular port and the receiver has already tuned into the frame. If the MAC address is not found in the table, the frame is forwarded to all ports. The reason a particular destination address is not present in the SAT table is that the receiving device could be new on the network, or the recipient has been very quiet (has not recently sent a frame). In both cases, the bridge SAT will not have a current entry. Flooding the frame on all ports is the brute way of ensuring that the frame is routed to its intended recipient.
Ethernet switch 200 uses the "age" entry in the SAT to determine whether that MAC address is still in use on the LAN. If the age has exceeded a certain preset value, the entry is removed. This conserves memory space and makes the bridge faster because fewer entries need to be scanned for address matching. Finally, the frame buffer memories 210, 212 will store frames on each port in case there is a backlog of frames to be forwarded.
According to embodiments of the present invention, discovery protocol logic 230 receives, processes, and sends CDP or other discovery protocol packets to neighboring network devices on the network. Packet redirection logic 260 examines the source and destination addresses of Ethernet packets under control of the configuration and management interface 270 and forwards them to other network devices in a cluster configuration.
An Ethernet LAN switch improves bandwidth by separating collision domains and selectively forwarding traffic to the appropriate segments.
Performance improves in LANs in which LAN switches are installed because the LAN switch creates isolated collision domains. Thus, by spreading users over several collision domains, collisions are avoided and performance improves. In addition, many LAN switch installations dedicate certain ports to a single users, giving those users an effective bandwidth of 10 Mbps when using traditional Ethernet.
As a LAN grows, either due to additional users or network devices, additional switches must often be added to the LAN and connected together to provide more ports and new network segments. One way to connect multiple LAN switches together is to cascade them using high-speed ports. However, when cascading LAN switches, the interswitch bandwidth is limited by the number of connections between switches.
Referring now to
As a LAN grows, network devices are typically added to the LAN and interconnected according to the needs of the particular LAN to which they belong. For example,
Regardless of the method used to interconnect them, network devices such as LAN switches need to be configured and managed, because they typically include a number of programmable features that can be changed by a network administrator for optimal performance in a particular network. Without limitation, such features typically include whether each port on the network device is enabled or disabled, the data transmission speed setting on each port, and the duplex setting on each port. Many commercially-available network devices contain embedded HTML Web servers, which allow the network device to be configured and managed remotely via a Web browser.
Traditionally, network device installation includes inserting the device into the network and assigning it an Internet Protocol ("IP") address, which is a 32-bit number assigned to hosts that want to participate in a TCP/IP Internet. The IP address of a network device is a unique address that specifies the logical location of a host or client on the Internet.
Once a network device has been assigned an IP address, a network administrator can enter the device's IP address or URL into a Web browser such as Netscape Navigator™, available from Netscape Communications Corp. of Mountain View, Calif., or Internet Explorers™, available from Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash., to access the network device and configure it from anywhere in the Internet. However, each network device to be configured must have its own IP address, which must be registered with a domain name service ("DNS"). Assigning an IP address to each and every network device is undesirable, because registering IP addresses with a DNS is both costly and cumbersome.
Accordingly, it would be convenient for a network administrator to be able to assign a single IP address to one network device in a cluster, and then to be able to configure and manage all of the network devices in the cluster using this single IP address. Unfortunately, no current mechanism exists to enable this activity. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus which permits an entire cluster of network devices to share a single IP address, and to provide a commander device which redirects data requests and responses to and from other devices in the cluster.
A group of network devices, such as Ethernet switches, are logically configured as a single cluster, with one commander device and one or more expansion devices. Each device in the cluster contains an embedded HTML server that facilitates configuration and management of the network device via a management station running a Web browser. Each device in the cluster is identified by a unique Universal Resource Locator ("URL"). However, only the cluster commander is required to have an IP address. The cluster commander redirects and translates configuration and management requests from the Web browser on the management station so that requests are processed by the appropriate device in the cluster. The exchange of information between the Web browser on the management station and the devices in a cluster is accomplished via redirection of HTTP GET and POST methods. This provides a consistent, device-independent interface between the device and the Web browser on the management station.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will realize that the following description of the present invention is illustrative only and not in any way limiting. Other embodiments of the invention will readily suggest themselves to such skilled persons having the benefit of this disclosure.
Network devices, such as LAN switches, may be configured and managed using either out-of-band or in-band techniques. Out-of-band configuration and management are typically performed by connecting to the console port on the network device and using the management console locally from a terminal or remotely through a modem. Alternatively, network devices may be configured and managed "in-band," either by connecting via Telnet to the network device and using a management console, or by communicating with the network device's in-band management interface using the industry standard Simple Network Management Protocol ("SNMP"). This can be accomplished by using an SNMP-compatible network management application and the network device's Management Interface Base ("MIB") files. Normally, however, in order to perform in-band administrative tasks of a network device, such as configuration and management, the network device must first be assigned an IP address. Additionally, in order to use in-band configuration and management capabilities, the SNMP management platform of the network device must be configured to understand and be able to access the objects contained in the network device's MIB.
Embodiments of the present invention use a subset of the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol ("TCP/IP") suite as the underlying mechanism to transport the SNMP configuration and management data. Without limitation, the protocols implemented in embodiments of the present invention include the Internet Protocol ("IP"), the Internet Control Message Protocol ("ICMP"), the User Datagram Protocol ("UDP"), the Trivial File Transfer Protocol ("TFTP"), the Bootstrap Protocol ("BOOTP"), and the Address Resolution Protocol ("ARP").
The MIB variables of network devices according to embodiments of the present invention are accessible through SNMP. SNMP is an application-layer protocol designed to facilitate the exchange of management information between network devices. SNMP is used to monitor IP gateways and their networks, and defines a set of variables that the gateway must keep and specifies that all operations on the gateway are a side effect of fetching or storing to data variables. SNMP consists of three parts: a Structure of Management Information ("SMI"), a Management Information Base ("MIB") and the protocol itself. The SMI and MIB define and store the set of managed entities, while SNMP itself conveys information to and from the SMI and the MIB.
Instead of defining a large set of commands, SNMP places all operations in a get-request, get-next-request, and set-request format. For example, an SNMP manager can get a value from an SNMP agent or store a value into that SNMP agent. The SNMP manager can be part of a network management system ("NMS"), and the SNMP agent can reside on a networking device such as a LAN switch. The switch MB files may be compiled with network management software, which then permits the SNMP agent to respond to MIB-related queries being sent by the NMS.
An example of an NMS is the CiscoWorks™ network management software, available from Cisco Systems, Inc. of San Jose, Calif. CiscoWorks™ uses the switch MB variables to set device variables and to poll devices on the network for specific information. Among other tasks, the CiscoWorks™ software permits the results of a poll to be displayed as a graph and analyzed in order to troubleshoot internetworking problems, increase network performance, verify the configuration of devices, and monitor traffic loads. Other products known to those of ordinary skill in the art, available from several other vendors, provide similar functionality.
Referring now to
SNMP Manager Operations
Retrieve a value from a specific variable.
Retrieve a value from a variable within a table. With
this operation, an SNMP manager does not need to
know the exact variable name. A sequential search is
performed to find the needed variable within a table.
The reply to a get-request, get-next-request, and
set-request sent by an NMS.
Store a value in a specific variable.
An unsolicited message sent by an SNMP agent to an
SNMP manager indicating that some event has
Embodiments of the present invention support the following configuration and management interfaces: HTML (web-based) interfaces, SNMP, and a proprietary Internet Operating System ("IOS") command line interpreter ("CLI"). Each of these management interfaces can be used to monitor and configure a LAN switch or a group of switches, known as a cluster. The cluster management tools are web-based, and may be accessed via an ordinary browser, such as Netscape Navigator™ or Microsoft Internet Explorer™. Embedded HTML-based management tools display images of switches and graphical user interfaces.
When LAN switches are grouped into clusters, one switch is called the commander switch, and the other switches are called expansion switches. Referring now to
According to the present invention, a single IP address for the entire cluster 98 is assigned to the commander switch 100, which distributes configuration information to the other switches in the cluster. In one embodiment, a cluster with up to 15 expansion switches may be configured and managed via the IP address of the commander switch 100. The expansion switches 102-A-102-N in the cluster do not need individual IP addresses.
According to embodiments of the present invention, the web-based management features are based on an embedded HTML web site within the Flash memory of each network device in the cluster. Web-based management uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol ("HTTP"), an in-band form of communication, which means that the Web-based management features of the network device are accessed through one of the Ethernet ports that are also used to receive and transmit normal data in each network device.
HTTP is an application-level protocol for distributed, collaborative, hypermedia information systems. HTTP allows an open-ended set of methods that indicate the purpose of a request. It builds on the discipline of reference provided by the Uniform Resource Identifier ("URI"), as a location ("URL") or name ("URN"), for indicating the resource to which a method is to be applied. Messages are passed in a format similar to that used by Internet mail as defined by the Multipurpose Internet Mail Extensions ("MIME").
The HTTP protocol is a request/response protocol. A client sends a request to the server in the form of a request method, URI, and protocol version, followed by a MIME-like message containing request modifiers, client information, and possible body content over a connection with a server. The server responds with a status line, including the message's protocol version and a success or error code, followed by a MIME-like message containing server information, entity metainformation, and possible entity-body content. Most HTTP communication is initiated by a user agent and consists of a request to be applied to a resource on some origin server. In the simplest case, this may be accomplished via a single connection between the user agent and the origin server.
A more complicated situation occurs when one or more intermediaries are present in the request/response chain. There are three common forms of intermediary: proxy, gateway, and tunnel. A proxy is a forwarding agent, receiving requests for a URI in its absolute form, rewriting all or part of the message, and forwarding the reformatted request toward the server identified by the URI. A gateway is a receiving agent, acting as a layer above some other server(s) and, if necessary, translating the requests to the underlying server's protocol. A tunnel acts as a relay point between two connections without changing the messages; tunnels are used when the communication needs to pass through an intermediary (such as a firewall) even when the intermediary cannot understand the contents of the messages.
HTTP communication usually takes place over TCP/IP connections. The default port is TCP 80, but other ports can be used. This does not preclude HTTP from being implemented on top of any other protocol on the Internet, or on other networks. HTTP only presumes a reliable transport. Thus, any protocol that provides such guarantees can also be used.
The HTTP GET method is used to retrieve whatever information (in the form of an entity) is identified by the Request-URI. If the Request-URI refers to a data-producing process, it is the produced data which shall be returned as the entity in the response and not the source text of the process, unless that text happens to be the output of the process.
The HTTP POST method is used to request that the destination server accept the entity enclosed in the request as a new subordinate of the resource identified by the Request-URI in the Request-Line. POST is designed to allow a uniform method to cover the following functions: (1) annotation of existing resources; (2) posting a message to a bulletin board, newsgroup, mailing list, or similar group of articles; (3) providing a block of data, such as the result of submitting a form, to a data-handling process; and (4) extending a database through an append operation.
The actual function performed by the POST method is determined by the server and is usually dependent on the Request-URI. The posted entity is subordinate to that URI in the same way that a file is subordinate to a directory containing it, a news article is subordinate to a newsgroup to which it is posted, or a record is subordinate to a database.
A cluster is a group of connected switches that are managed as a single entity. The switches can be in the same location, or they can be distributed across a network. According to embodiments of the present invention, all communication with cluster switches is through a single IP address assigned to the commander switch. Clusters may be configured in a variety of topologies. As an example,
A second example of a cluster configuration, known as a "daisy chain" configuration, is shown in FIG. 9. In cluster 110, only expansion switch 102-A is directly connected to the commander switch 100. Expansion switches 102-B-102-G are each connected to an "upstream" switch (one that is fewer "hops" away from commander switch 100) and to a "downstream" switch (one that is more "hops" away from commander switch 100). Finally, the last switch in the chain (expansion switch 102-H) is only connected to its upstream "neighbor" 102-G.
As a third example,
It is to be understood that many more cluster configurations are possible, and that the above examples are not in any way limiting.
The commander switch is the single point of access used to configure and monitor all the switches in a cluster. According to embodiments of the present invention, expansion switches are managed through a commander switch. The commander switch is used to manage the cluster, and is managed directly by the network management station. Expansion switches operate under the control of the commander. While they are a part of a cluster, expansion switches are not managed directly. Rather, requests intended for an expansion switch are first sent to the commander, then forwarded to the appropriate expansion switch in the cluster.
When switches are first installed, they are cabled together according to the network configuration desired for a particular application, and an IP address is assigned to the commander switch. In addition, the commander switch must be enabled as the commander switch of the cluster. Once the commander switch has been enabled, it can use information known about the network topology to identify other network devices in the network that may be added to the cluster. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the commander switch uses the Cisco™ Discovery Protocol ("CDP") to automatically identify candidate network devices. However, other similar products known to those of ordinary skill in the art are available from other vendors to accomplish the same task. Alternatively, discovery of candidate network devices may be performed manually by inspecting the network topology and the network devices attached to the network.
CDP is a media-independent device discovery protocol which can be used by a network administrator to view information about other network devices directly attached to a particular network device. In addition, network management applications can retrieve the device type and SNMP-agent address of neighboring network devices. This enables applications to send SNMP queries to neighboring devices. CDP thus allows network management applications to discover devices that are neighbors of already known devices, such as neighbors running lower-layer, transparent protocols.
It is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to devices that are compatible with CDP. CDP runs on all media that support the Subnetwork Access Protocol ("SNAP"), including LAN and Frame Relay. CDP runs over the data link layer only. Each network device sends periodic messages to a multicast address and listens to the periodic messages sent by others in order to learn about neighboring devices and determine when their interfaces to the media go up or down. Each device also advertises at least one address at which it can receive SNMP messages. The advertisements contain holdtime information, which indicates the period of time a receiving device should hold CDP information from a neighbor before discarding it. With CDP, network management applications can learn the device type and the SNMP agent address of neighboring devices. This process enables applications to send SNMP queries to neighboring devices.
Once a switch cluster is formed, any of the switches in the cluster may be accessed by entering the IP address of the commander switch into a Web browser. The single password that is entered to log in to the commander switch also grants access to all the expansion switches in the cluster.
The method of creating a cluster of Ethernet switches depends on each particular network configuration. If the switches are arranged in a star topology, as in
In embodiments of the present invention, there can be a maximum of sixteen switches in a cluster: fifteen expansion switches and one commander switch. If passwords are defined for the candidate expansion switches, the network administrator must know them all before they can be added to the cluster. In addition, a candidate switch according to embodiments of the present invention must not already be a member switch or a commander switch of another active cluster.
If the commander switch of a cluster fails, member switches continue forwarding but cannot be managed through the commander switch. Member switches retain the ability to be managed through normal standalone means, such as the console-port CLI, and they can be managed through SNMP, HTML, and Telnet after they have been assigned an IP address. Recovery from a failed command switch can be accomplished by replacing the failed unit with a cluster member or another switch. To have a cluster member ready to replace the commander switch, the network administrator must assign an IP address to another cluster member, and know the command-switch enable password for that switch.
According to embodiments of the present invention, when a cluster is formed, the commander switch automatically changes three parameters on all the expansion switches in the cluster: the IOS host name, the enable password, and the SNMP community string. If a switch has not been assigned an IOS host name, the commander switch appends a number to the name of the commander switch and assigns it sequentially to the expansion switches. For example, a commander switch named eng-cluster could name a cluster expansion switch eng-cluster-5. If an IOS host name has already been assigned to a switch, the switch retains its IOS host name.
Once a cluster has been created, network management software such as the Cluster Manager™ program, available from the assignee of the present invention, may be used to monitor and configure the switches in the cluster.
One advantage of the present invention is that a network administrator need set only one IP address, one password, and one system SNMP configuration in order to manage an entire cluster of switches. A cluster can be formed from switches located in several different buildings on a campus, and may be linked by fiber optic, Fast Ethernet, or Gigabit Ethernet connections.
Clusters may be managed from a management station through ASCII terminal consoles, telnet sessions, SNMP management stations and Web Consoles. AU configuration and management requests are first directed to the cluster commander. Any required authentication is done by the commander. If necessary, the commander acts as a redirector and forwards requests to the appropriate expansion switch and forwards the reply to the management station. According to embodiments of the present invention, an expansion switch can be in only one cluster at a time and can have only one commander.
There is no restriction on the type of connections between a commander switch and expansion switches. In one embodiment of the present invention, a cluster can be formed for a fully interconnected group of CDP neighbors. A network device can join a cluster when the network device is a CDP neighbor of the cluster. Without limitation, switches in a cluster may be interconnected using 10 Mbps Ethernet, 100 Mbps Fast Ethernet, or 1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet.
The primary external configuration and management interface to the cluster is a TCP/IP connection to the commander switch. HTTP, SNMP, and telnet protocols run on top of the IP stack in the operating system. Alternatively, the cluster may also be managed via the console port of the commander.
Thus, as shown in
The commander switch 100 manages SNMP communication for all switches in the cluster 98. The commander switch 100 forwards the set and get requests from SNMP applications to expansion switches 102-A-102-N, and it forwards traps and other responses from the expansion switches 102-A-102-N back to the management station 104. In one embodiment of the present invention, read-write and read-only community strings are set up for an entire cluster. Community strings provide authentication in the exchange of SNMP messages. The commander switch appends numbers to the community strings of expansion switches so that these modified community strings can provide authentication for the expansion switches. When a new switch is added to the cluster, a community string is created for it from the community string for the cluster. Only the first read-only and read-write community strings are propagated to the cluster.
Configuration and management data packets are sent between the commander 100 and expansion switches 102-A-102-N via the network connection. The commander 100 identifies each expansion switch 102-A-102-N by the MAC address of the port on the expansion switch that is connected to the commander 100.
According to embodiments of the present invention, each network device capable of being a cluster commander contains a cluster_member data structure to store its own information.
A cluster_neighbor data structure is created for each CDP neighbor seen on a network device according to the present invention. This structure is stored on each network device for all its CDP neighbors so that there is no waiting for new CDP information if a device is added to the cluster. This information is sent from each cluster member to the commander at predetermined intervals or upon request from the commander, along with information from the cluster_member data structure and the CDP cache.
On embodiments of the present invention, a member's neighbor information is stored in a linked list along with a pointer to the receiving port's swidb, the CDP device number used to match the CDP cache entry, and an neighbor age indicator. Configuration data for the cluster members are kept in a linked list on the commander in member number order. Pointers to the member structures are also kept in an a 16-entry hash table. The hash table allows quick access to a member, whereas the linked list allows the cluster members to be displayed easily.
Similarly, the neighbors are kept in a linked list and in a 32-entry hash table whose hashing algorithm XORs the three low-order bytes of the MAC address and uses the resulting lowest 5 bits as the index into the hash table. To be an exact match, a neighbor must match the connected member number, the MAC address, and the portID of the port connecting to that member. The hash table allows quick access to a particular neighbor and the linked list allows neighbors to be displayed easily.
According to embodiments of the present invention, HTTP redirection allows the commander switch to act as an HTTP server for the entire cluster. HTTP requests are sent to the commander and, depending on the contents of the Universal Resource Identifier ("URI"), they are either processed on the commander or redirected to an expansion switch. If an HTTP request is redirected to an expansion switch, the response is also redirected back to the original requestor.
In embodiments of the present invention, HTTP redirection thus provides a way to access web pages stored on an expansion switch via the commander. Redirection is done by the commander when the URL is of the form:
Unless the HTML specifies a host, hypertext references from Web pages retrieved from expansion switch es[n] refer to files on expansion switch es[n]. For example, http://www.switch_cluster.com/es3/file—1.html provides web console access to expansion switch 3.
The HTTP response data are retrieved from the expansion switch by reading from the forwarding TCP connection and sent to the web browser by writing to the initial TCP connection. HTTP uses its TCP connection in a half duplex manner. This means that only when a complete request is sent to the server is the response sent back to the web browser. The HTTP redirector will first redirect the request, and then it will redirect the response.
In order to determine when an entire request has been received, the HTTP redirector must use different methods for GET and POST requests. In one embodiment of the present invention, the end of a GET request is flagged by the character sequence CR-LF-CR-LF, where LF is the linefeed character and CR is the carriage return character. Similarly, the end of a POST request is determined by scanning the request's HTTP header for a "content-length" field, which can be used to determine the length of the POST request.
A portion of the httpstate, the URI, is examined to determine if a request will be redirected, or if it will be allowed to be processed locally. If the request can be processed locally, the data stream may not be modified in a way that disrupts parsing the request.
In one embodiment of the present invention, a new HTTP CASE registry named http_redirect_request is introduced that is invoked by HTTP when the first token of an SNMP request has been read. This registry is invoked from http_parse_get_request( ) and http_parse_post_request( ) after the URI has been parsed, but before the HTTP headers are parsed. A small change is necessary to the platform independent http_parse_get_request( ) and http_parse_post_request( ) routines in order to insert the reg_invoke between the processing of the URI and the rest of the HTTP header.
The invocation of the new http_redirect_request registry works as follows. For each TCP connection, http_listen( ) starts http_daemon. When a request is being processed, the daemon parses the URI. If a URI containing an "es[n]" string (e.g., "es3") is found, the http_redirect_request( ) registry is invoked. The HTTP redirector then examines the URI in the httpstate data structure. If it contains the forwarding string, the request is redirected and TRUE is returned. Otherwise, the request is not redirected, and FALSE is returned.
In one embodiment of the present invention, when http_redirect_request( ) is invoked, it looks for an "es[n]" string (e.g., "es3"). If an "es[n]" string is found, the corresponding cluster IP address is obtained from a look-up table in the commander switch. If no cluster IP address is found, http_redirect_request( ) returns an error. Otherwise, either the forward_get( ) function or forward_post( ) function is invoked as appropriate.
Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that a "TCB" is a control block that describes a TCP connection. The fwd_tcb TCB is used by the redirector to forward the modified request to the expansion device and receive the reply from the expansion device. The forward_get( ) function uses the target cluster IP address to get fwd_tcb, then writes "get_request" to fwd_tcb. The forward_get( ) function continues to write the request until it either sees the data stream terminated by a predetermined data sequence, or a time out occurs. Then, it reads the response from fwd_tcb, and writes the response to the TCB associated with standard output (out_tcb).
The forward_post( ) function works similarly to forward_get( ), except that the HTTP header is parsed for the content length of the entity body contained in the POST request, and the request is read until the length of the entity body has been transmitted to the expansion switch. The forward_post( ) function uses the target IP address to get a TCB (fwd_tcb), then writes "start of post" to fwd_tcb. The function then parses through the HTTP header until it finds the content length field. Then, it reads the remainder of the post request from the input tcb (state->tcb), using the content length field to determine the length of the request, and writes it to fwd_tcb. The response is then read from fwd_tcb and written to the TCB associated with standard output (out_tcb).
The send_request_to_tcp( ) function is responsible for forwarding the initial packet of the request. In the case of a HTTP GET, this is sufficient. In the case of a HTTP POST, however, additional data must be read from the Web browser and forwarded to the expansion switch.
In order to send commands via HTTP from the commander switch to the expansion switch, a method is needed to be able to issue an authorized command without having a clear text version of the enable password available. This can be achieved by making the commander of an expansion switch explicitly authorized to perform fully enabled commands on the expansion switches.
For this purpose, the URI can have a special string appended to it that signifies that the access level of this URI should be determined in a special manner. In the http_daemon's http_authenticate( ) routine, a registry is added that allows an expansion switch to authenticate a URI with the special authentication prefix. The http_authenticate( ) LOOP registry compares the IP address of the request sender to the CMP address of the commander, and it also checks the IP ARP table to ensure that the CMP address of the commander currently is associated with the MAC address of the commander. In this way, if a Web browser were to include the string "/level/CMP" at the end of a URI that was being redirected, it could execute an enabled command without an enable password. The HTTP redirector must filter out any HTTP requests that attempt to use implicit commander authentication, and return an authorization error to the requester.
While embodiments and applications of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure that many more modifications than mentioned above are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
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|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Oct 23, 2003
Owner name: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC., CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:CHENNAPRAGADA, KRISHNA RAO;REEL/FRAME:014640/0981
Effective date: 20000215
Owner name: CISCO TECHNOLOGY, INC., CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:SLATER, CHARLES;REEL/FRAME:014639/0954
Effective date: 20000121
|Dec 27, 2005
|Certificate of correction
|Sep 18, 2008
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Nov 19, 2012
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Nov 17, 2016
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12


text:
|Andao Tea
I have found this tray to be easy to clean and extremely durable. A rub with a soft towel quickly eliminates any water spots or tea stains. I have accidentally left tea in it and it suffered no ill effects. After months of almost constant use, it still looks as good as it did the day I received it. I have heard that bamboo trays can have issues with leaks and cracking but I have never had any problems. I love avoiding the usual clean up duties, all I have to do is empty the tray when I am done. It also saves my hands from having to carry extremely hot cups of tea.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Whooping cough cases in the U.S. have more than doubled since last year and could be the worst since 1959, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
In its weekly Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the agency focused on a pertussis epidemic in Washington state, where cases have increased by 1,300 percent from 2011 to 2012. By June 16th there were 2,520 cases, the highest number reported since 1942.
At a press briefing Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases talked to reporters about the spread of the disease and why numbers have been going up. In Washington and the U.S., a growth in cases has been seen among infants under one year and children age 10, 13 and 14.
MORE: Jump in Vaccination Delays Seen in Oregon
"What is happening in Washington state is a reflection of the larger national picture," she said, adding that the country may see record high pertussis rates this year. Nine deaths from whooping cough have been reported this year so far among roughly 18,000 cases that have reported to the CDC.
Schuchat said a number of factors are driving the increase. The disease is cyclical, she noted, with peaks and valleys that happen about every three to five years. Immunity to the vaccine could diminish over time. A rise in diagnoses and reporting of cases may influence the data as well.
Schuchat stopped short of blaming vaccine delayers and abstainers for the increase in cases. She said she's aware of pockets around the country with large numbers of unvaccinated people, but added, "We don't think (they) are driving this current wave. We think it is a bad thing that people aren't getting vaccinated or exempting, but we cannot blame this wave on that phenomenon."
Very young infants—those under two months—are especially vulnerable to pertussis since they're too young for the vaccination. "Their protection instead depends on the immunity of the people around them," Schuchat said, "especially pregnant women, their mothers. That is why we strongly urge pregnant women and all who will be around babies to be vaccinated."
The rise in whooping cough cases among older children may be due, she added, to declining protection from the vaccine over time. In 1997 a switch was made in the immunization, from the whole cell to the acellular pertussis vaccine, which "might have done something to impact how long the vaccines last. "
MORE: Death Toll for 2009 H1N1 Pandemic May Be Higher Than Thought
The switch was made, Schuchat said, because the acellular vaccine had fewer side effects. The CDC recommends a pertussis booster called Tdap for children 11 to 12. However, in Washington whooping cough rates among 13 and 14-year-olds is higher despite high rates of Tdap boosters.
The pertussis vaccine "remains the key single most effective approach to prevent infection," she said. "It is critical to protect infants and others at high risk." She added that unvaccinated children are eight times higher risk of getting the disease compared to those who have had the vaccine.
How strictly do you follow CDC vaccination guidelines? Let us know in the comments.
Related Stories on TakePart:
Combination Vaccine for Meningitis Gets FDA Approval
HPV Vaccine Benefits Those Who Do and Don't Get The Shots
Jeannine Stein, a California native, wrote about health for the Los Angeles Times. In her pursuit of a healthy lifestyle she has taken countless fitness classes, hiked in Nepal, and has gotten in a boxing ring. Email Jeannine | TakePart.com


text:
Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.
The Waiting Time (1998)
by Gerald Seymour
No current Talk conversations about this book.
The plot at first impression was a fairly simple one. A young East German male is caught and killed by a Stasi unit led by Haupman Dieter Krause while on a spying mission for the British. A decade later, the Berlin Wall has collapsed and the German nation is in the throes of unification with many on the old Eastern side trying to readjust to their new circumstances. Dieter Krause thought he had buried his past and is now being touted around Western Governments by the German spy agency as having inside knowledge of Russian Defence Minister's right hand man Colonel Pyotr Rykov. On a visit to Britain Krause is attacked by the girlfriend of the young dead spy, who witnessed the murder, and so starts a search in old East Germany for evidence against Krause so he can be brought to book for murder. Albert Perkins, an agent for the British Government is also in Germany running his own parallel investigation into the relationship between Krause and Rykov. This is all fairly straight forward stuff but when secret videotape of Krauses's wife and Rykov having sex comes to light another plot is hatched led by another Cold War veteran Olive Harris which if successful makes the others null and void. Unfortunately, IMHO this third plot rather detracts from the overall story for me and only seems to have been added to suggested that the 'fairer' sex can be as ruthless as men.
There was some intersting insights into the old East Germany but generally I found it fairly predictable although there was a rather nice twist at the very end which I certainly did not see coming. I enjoyed the author's writing style, the lack of gadgets was certainly refreshing, but perhaps not quite as much as I remembered and perhaps that is the message of the book,you should revisit your past with caution. I enjoyed the book and it was an pleasant diversion but it is also probably not one that will live long in the memory.
References to this work on external resources.
Wikipedia in English (1)
No descriptions found.
A woman corporal in the British Army plots to avenge the murder of her lover, a spy for the West in the old East Germany. Not an easy task, the Cold War is over and the murderer, an East German secret policeman, has friends in Western intelligence.
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text:
Safety of RAD001 in Combination With Cisplatin and Etoposide in Lung Cancer Patients
This study has been completed.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Novartis ( Novartis Pharmaceuticals )
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: April 26, 2007
Last updated: November 21, 2011
Last verified: November 2011
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
This study aims to establish a tolerable dose level and regimen of RAD001 in combination with cisplatin and etoposide (standard-of-care chemotherapy) in patients with extensive stage small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) who have not previously been treated with systemic chemotherapy.
|Small-Cell Lung Cancer
|Drug: Everolimus
|Phase 1
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|A Phase Ib Study Investigating the Combination of RAD001 With Cisplatin and Etoposide in Patients With Extensive-stage Small-cell Lung Cancer Not Previously Treated With Chemotherapy
Resource links provided by NLM:
Genetics Home Reference related topics: lung cancer
MedlinePlus related topics: Lung Cancer
Drug Information available for: Etoposide Sirolimus Everolimus TemsirolimusU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Novartis ( Novartis Pharmaceuticals ):
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Dose limiting toxicity (DLT) rate will be measured at End-of-Cycle 1 [ Time Frame: Day 21 ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Relative dose intensity (RDI) of carboplatin and paclitaxel will be evaluated upon completion of the dose escalation within each regimen [ Time Frame: within 6 cycles (Day 126) ]
- PK parameters derived from the PK profile of treatment drugs when administered alone or in combination will be evaluated during the first 6 cycles [ Time Frame: During the first 6 cycles ]
- Overall tumor response [ Time Frame: Every 6-8 weeks ]
|Study Start Date:
|April 2007
|Primary Completion Date:
|November 2010 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
|Experimental: Daily dosing RAD001
Drug: Everolimus
RAD001 will be supplied by Novartis as tablets in 3 different dosage strengths, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg. The drug will be packaged in blisters containing 10 tablets per blister. Blisters and packaging will be compliant with local regulations and be printed in local language.
Other Name: RAD001
|Experimental: Weekly dosing RAD001
Drug: Everolimus
RAD001 will be supplied by Novartis as tablets in 3 different dosage strengths, 2.5, 5 and 10 mg. The drug will be packaged in blisters containing 10 tablets per blister. Blisters and packaging will be compliant with local regulations and be printed in local language.
Other Name: RAD001
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion criteria:
- Patients with histologically or cytologically confirmed diagnosis of extensive disease small-cell lung cancer (ED SCLC)
- Age ≥ 18 years
- WHO Performance Status Grade ≤ 1 (ie. ability to perform normal daily functions)
- Adequate bone marrow, liver and renal function
Exclusion criteria:
- Chronic steroid treatment
- Prior treatment with chemotherapy for advanced lung cancer
- Prior treatment with mTOR inhibitors
- Active bleeding conditions, skin conditions, gastrointestinal disorders, mouth ulcers, eye conditions, chronic liver or kidney disorders, uncontrolled diabetes, infections or other severe medical conditions
- Symptomatic or uncontrolled brain metastases
- Other cancers within the past 5 years
- Pregnant or breastfeeding women
Other protocol-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria may apply.
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00466466
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00466466
|United States, Arkansas
|Highlands Oncology Group
|Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States, 72703
|United States, Colorado
|University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
|Aurora, Colorado, United States, 80045
|United States, Massachusetts
|Dana Faber Cancer Institute
|Boston, Massachusetts, United States, 02115
|United States, Texas
|MD Anderson Cancer Center
|Houston, Texas, United States, 77030-4009
|Cancer Therapy and Research Center at UTHSCSA
|San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78229
|Novartis Investigative Site
|Paris, France
Sponsors and Collaborators
Novartis Pharmaceuticals
|Study Director:
|Novartis Pharmaceuticals
|Novartis Pharmaceuticals
More Information
Keywords provided by Novartis ( Novartis Pharmaceuticals ):
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 23, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|Novartis Pharmaceuticals
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00466466 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|April 26, 2007
|Last Updated:
|November 21, 2011
Keywords provided by Novartis ( Novartis Pharmaceuticals ):
Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Advanced Lung Cancer
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Lung Neoplasms
Small Cell Lung Carcinoma
Respiratory Tract Neoplasms
Thoracic Neoplasms
Neoplasms by Site
Lung Diseases
Respiratory Tract Diseases
Carcinoma, Bronchogenic
Bronchial Neoplasms
Etoposide phosphate
Antineoplastic Agents
Immunosuppressive Agents
Immunologic Factors
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
Topoisomerase II Inhibitors
Topoisomerase Inhibitors
Enzyme Inhibitors
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Anti-Bacterial Agents
Anti-Infective Agents
Antibiotics, Antineoplastic
Antifungal Agents
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 23, 2017


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With a record seven Indian legislators elected to serve in the 2003 session, the Indian caucus expected to have more power than ever. Instead, the caucus accomplished less than it had in either the 2001 or 1999 sessions, says Rep. Carol Juneau (D-Browning).
"Maybe there was too much offered and too much introduced for American Indians to be successful," says Juneau. "For example, [Rep.] Norma Bixby (D-Lame Deer) had only one resolution pass, and it was right toward the end, and it wasn't even really Indian-related."
Two resolutions sponsored by Juneau did pass, but as she points out, resolutions aren't laws, but "only letters of support." None of the bills sponsored by Juneau went anywhere, and her peers didn't fare much better—not a single bill passed this session that offered any state funding specific to Indian issues.
On the Republican party's post-session tour of the state, Rep. Dick Haines (R-Missoula) said he sympathized, and often supported Indian bills, but wondered where the money would come from to pay for the expensive programs contained in the proposed legislation. Speaking of Juneau's bill that would have raised the compulsory school attendance age from 16 to 18—a program that would certainly cost the state millions, but may have begun to reverse the dismal Indian dropout rate—Senate Majority Leader Fred Thomas (R-Stevensville) said that the bill addresses a problem that can't be solved with money or legislation. Juneau insists that her bill would keep kids in school, and that the majority just doesn't want to devote the money to it.
Indian lawmaker Rep. Joey Jayne (D-Arlee) disagrees with the charge that it's pure economics that leaves Indian legislation on the table. Jayne points to Republican bills like House Speaker Doug Mood's (R-Seeley Lake) last-minute amendment to the state budget to provide $10,000 to study the need for a community college in his district in Philipsburg.
"If they want to, they can always find the money," says Jayne.
With all the Indian legislators being Democrats—the minority party in both houses for the last decade—it seems to make sense that Indian legislation wouldn't fare well. But Juneau doesn't think party affiliation should play into how lawmakers vote on Indian bills.
"Many of the American Indian issues aren't partisan issues," she says. "Things like dropout rates and water rights shouldn't be partisan."
But being Democrats, the Indians legislators have alienated some Republicans from their causes—Gov. Judy Martz being possibly the biggest example. Early in her term, Martz said she was making Indian issues a priority and visited all seven of Montana's reservations. But this session, the Indian caucus met with Martz only once. In that meeting, Juneau says that Martz was unreceptive to the idea of pitching in.
"She basically said, 'I supported ten of your issues last session and you didn't support any of mine,'" says Juneau. "We had a much stronger disconnect [with the governor's office] this session than in the previous two sessions."


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Physicians for Human RightsThrough evidence, change is possible.
Press Room
Forced Displacement Leaves Burmese Families Living in Substandard Conditions, with Higher Rates of Hunger and Sickness
The Burmese government violated international standards when forcibly displacing families from the Thilawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ) by threatening many residents with court appearances and imprisonment, giving them inadequate compensation for land lost, and failing to provide training or other means of income to those who lost their jobs, according to a new report by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR).
President Obama's Burma Visit Offers Opportunity to Push for Improvement on Human Rights
During his trip to Burma this week, President Obama should demand progress on a range of human rights issues, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today.
International Community is Legally Obligated to Respond to Ebola Crisis
PHR said today that an urgent response to the Ebola outbreak is not just an option, but a legal obligation, and outlined immediate actions states must take.
Press Release
PHR Comments on Landmine Treaty Announcement
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), which shared the Nobel Peace Prize as a founding member of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, said today that the United States has made progress by committing not to produce additional anti-personnel mines, but criticized the government for falling short of signing the Mine Ban Treaty.
PHR Welcomes Tomasz Malinowski's Confirmation as Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
PHR today welcomed the Senate confirmation of Tomasz Malinowski as U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, the government's highest position solely dedicated to human rights.


text:
Your Cat, Your Life
The Scoop
Cat News, Politics
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Gear and Glam
Your cat loves a clean toilet -- don't we all? Catster's singing Cat Lady, Sarah Donner, explains why.
Cat Breeds
Foods & Treats
Health & Care
Behavior & Training
Cats & Cleaning
Cat of the Day
Other pets in your family: Hottie RIP 03-19-10 | Chirpee ( in memory 04/06/09 | Harley-RIP 09-07-11 | Binky | Shadow (RIP 06/10/11) | Timber | Salem
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text:
Biotechnology Consultation Agency Response Letter BNF 000130
Return to inventory: Completed Consultations on Foods from Genetically Engineered Plant Varieties
See also Biotechnology: Genetically Engineered Plants for Food and Feed and about Submissions on Bioengineered New Plant Varieties
See FDA's memo on BNF No. 000130 for further details
CFSAN/Office of Food Additive Safety
July 2, 2014
Angela McKean, M.S.
Regulatory Affairs Manager
BASF Plant Science L.P.
26 Davis Drive
Research Triangle Park, NC 27709
Dear Ms. McKean:
This letter addresses BASF Plant Science Company GmbH's (BASF) consultation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Center for Veterinary Medicine and Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN)) on the genetically engineered starch potato, AM04-1020 (AM04-1020 potato). According to information that BASF has provided, AM04-1020 potato is genetically engineered to reduce the levels of amylose, thus resulting in starch composed predominantly of amylopectin (also referred to as "amylopectin-type" starch). All materials relevant to this consultation have been placed in a file designated BNF 000130. This file will be maintained in the Office of Food Additive Safety in CFSAN.
As part of bringing the consultation to closure, BASF submitted a summary of its safety and nutritional assessment of the genetically engineered starch potato on March 30, 2011. BASF submitted additional information on November 11, 2011, and on February 1 and July 18, 2013. These communications informed FDA of the steps taken by BASF to ensure that this product complies with the legal and regulatory requirements that fall within FDA's jurisdiction. Based on the safety and nutritional assessment BASF has conducted, it is our understanding that BASF has concluded that its amylopectin-type starch potato variety, AM04-1020 potato, and the foods and feeds derived from it are as safe as the parental variety Kuras and comparable to other conventional starch potato varieties. We also understand that BASF has concluded that, except for reduced amylose levels, the AM04-1020 potato is not materially different in composition or other relevant parameters from starch potato varieties now grown and used for commercial starch production and other food and feed uses. The genetically engineered AM04-1020 potato does not raise issues that would require premarket review or approval by FDA.
BASF states that its rationale for developing AM04-1020 potato is the need of the starch industry for pure amylopectin starch. Because unmodified potato starch contains both amylopectin and amylose, the starch industry uses potato starch that has been chemically modified to suppress the functional properties associated with amylose. According to BASF, AM04-1020 potato starch has the characteristics and functionality of amylopectin-type starch; consequently, AM04-1020 potato starch can be used in place of chemically modified potato starch in a variety of food processing applications. While the anticipated use of AM04-1020 potato starch by food processing industries is similar to that of other starch potato varieties, potato starch may also be marketed as a retail food product to consumers. If a company intends to market AM04-1020 potato starch as a retail product, it should consider potential labeling issues. It is the company's responsibility to ensure that labeling for products it introduces into the food supply is truthful and not misleading.
It is BASF's responsibility to obtain all appropriate clearances, including those from the Environmental Protection Agency and the United States Department of Agriculture, before marketing food or feed derived from AM04-1020 potato.
Based on the information BASF has presented to FDA, we have no further questions concerning food and feed derived from AM04-1020 potato at this time. However, as you are aware, it is BASF's continuing responsibility to ensure that foods marketed by the firm are safe, wholesome, and in compliance with all applicable legal and regulatory requirements. A copy of the text of this letter responding to BNF 000130, as well as a copy of the text of FDA's memorandum summarizing the information in BNF 000130, is available for public review and copying via the FDA Completed Consultations on Bioengineered Foods page at www.fda.gov/bioconinventory.
Sincerely yours,
Dennis M. Keefe, Ph.D.
Office of Food Additive Safety
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition


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He's always up for a good time, and last night (March 20) Gerard Butler paid a visit to "Chelsea Lately" in Los Angeles.
The "PS I Love You" hunk chatted with host Chelsea Handler about his new movie "Olympus Has Fallen," though the conversation quickly turned to playful banter.
After attending the Academy Awards on Sunday night, Oscar nominee Quvenzhané Wallis appeared on " Chelsea Lately" on Monday (February 25).
The 9-year-old actress spoke about her new role in the upcoming remake of the musical "Annie." When the host asked whether she had a good singing voice, the young starlet quipped, "I guess - if I made the part."
She's always up for a good time, and Reese Witherspoon is featured in a new teaser clip for an upcoming episode of "After Lately."
In the video, the "Sweet Home Alabama" babe joins up with Chelsea Handler for a tour of her brand new office space.
Stepping out for some media duties, Julianne Hough paid a visit to "Chelsea Lately" to promote her new movie "Safe Haven" last night (February 14).
The "Rock of Ages" hottie looked adorable as she chatted with Chelsea Handler about her boyfriend Ryan Seacrest.
She's always been a fan of kooky antics, and Chelsea Handler is up to her old tricks on a new sneak preview of "After Lately" Season Three.
The 37-year-old comedienne dressed up as Lady Gaga for a new sketch, though she definitely seemed less-than-excited about the ordeal.
Making a special holiday appearance on "Chelsea Lately" on Tuesday (December 25), Reese Witherspoon talked about being a mother to her new son, Tennessee.
During their chat, pal Chelsea Handler revealed that the "Legally Blonde" star wouldn't tell her the sex of the child before the birth. After hinting the answer in a text, the 36-year-old made the host immediately delete the text in case someone read it.
It was all fun and games on Tuesday night's (December 18) "Chelsea Lately" when Drew Barrymore showed up.
Not only did the 37-year-old actress show up to chat with the late night host, she also came to drink!
Stepping out for a promotional appearance, Alessandra Ambrosio showed up at "Chelsea Lately" last night (November 28).
The Brazilian supermodel brought along the $2.5 million Victoria's Secret Fantasy Bra, which also came with some added security.


text:
Tom "spot" Callaway wrote:
On Mon, 2008-06-30 at 08:50 -0600, Jerry Williams wrote:But then why does root's GUI profile have things like a browser or games or stuff like that? Stuff you should never run as root?These are valid questions. I know there was some discussion about making the root GUI session a super-minimal session, but I'm not sure where it went from there. ~spot
Perhaps a normal user account should always be created during installation without any feedback (choice of username/passwd) which can only be logged in to from the local console. Such a user could be the 'I need to do initial maint' account rather than root... and still need the root password to make changes.
Something like 'fedora/fedora' for user/pass which is always created and needs to be disabled once installed.
Once another normal user is created, the 'fedora' user could be automatically removed (perhaps by firstboot once users are created)?
-- Andrew Farris <lordmorgul gmail com> www.lordmorgul.net gpg 0x8300BF29 fingerprint 071D FFE0 4CBC 13FC 7DEB 5BD5 5F89 8E1B 8300 BF29


text:
Why it's not enough to build a product that people wantWritten by Justin on January 17, 2013
In 2013 I interviewed Rob Walling for the Product People podcast.
Rob is the man behind products like HitTail, DotNetInvoice, and Drip. But he also helped start a movement of micropreneurs: solo-founders, who launch their own products. These small startups don't take venture funding and don't hire employees. Instead they use Virtual Assistants and outsourcing to build and market their products.
Between 1999-2005 Rob tried (unsuccessfully) to build and launch his own startups. He did everything from the coding to the marketing. He built 5 products during this time, but nothing worked.
It wasn't until he purchased an existing app (called DotNetInvoice) that Rob had his first taste of success. It was then that he realized that the most important thing isn't the code, or even solving a specific problem:
"Building something people want is not enough", says Rob "you have to be able to market it at a cost less than what the customer will pay you back over time."
Subsequently, Rob honed his craft acquiring small web properties (like CMS Themer and Just Beach Towels). He looked for products that people wanted, but that also ranked high in Google.
The challenge, says Rob, is that entrepreneurs, developers and designer are creators. They get an idea and want to jump to the fun part, which is building, design and code. "People naturally love their own ideas" comments Rob.
But instead of coming up with ideas, and spending 12 months to launch them, Rob advocates a different way.
Solve a real problem
For his new product, Drip, Rob emailed 17 founders (like Hiten Shah of Kissmetrics). He said very specifically: "I don't want you to tell me that you think this is an interesting idea; I want to know if you would actually use and pay for it."
Get to market as fast as you can
If you can avoid it, don't build and launch your products yourself. Rob spent the first 5 years of his entrepreneurial journey wasting time on ideas that didn't go anywhere. But when he purchased and re-launched existing products (like Wedding Toolbox) he could get to market faster.
Customers have to give you more money than they cost
Spend less money getting customers than they will cost you over their lifetime. For example, if it costs you $100 to get a new paying user, but their CLTV (customer lifetime value) is $80, you'll be losing money. This is one reason why mobile app marketing is hard, as a $2 lifetime value makes it difficult to market the product.
At the beginning, focus on small wins
Everyone wants to build a big SaaS app as their first project. Rob's story shows us that product people need to start small, and experience little wins first. Until you can learn to how to identify a good opportunity, and how to market it, you're not going to have the chops to build something big.
Hear more from Rob
You can listen to my interview with Rob here. You can also subscribe to the Product People podcast in iTunes, Stitcher or with Instacast today. You can follow Rob on Twitter here.
Download a free chapter
Weird marketing ideas for programmers, designers, freelancers, makers, and entrepreneurs.


text:
Free personalized radio that
plays the music you love
Above The Law
Go Mack left the group shortly thereafter, and Above the Law stuck with the trio format for their last Ruthless album, 1994's Uncle Sam's Curse, which featured greater contributions from KMG. Following Eazy-E's tragically sudden death, Above the Law left Ruthless for Tommy Boy, debuting in 1996 with Time Will Reveal; although the lyrics stuck with the group's well-worn gangsta themes, it demonstrated that Big Hutch's skills as a G-funk producer were becoming ever more polished. Released in 1998, Legends kept the West Coast gangsta flame burning, but proved to be their last release on Tommy Boy; they formed their own label, West World, and struck a distribution deal with Street Solid for 1999's Forever: Rich Thugs. The same year, Big Hutch released his solo debut, Executive Decisions.
In 2000, Big Hutch was recruited by Suge Knight to become the new house producer and musical director at Death Row Records, making it the new home of Above the Law as well. They recorded a new album called Diary of a Drug Dealer, but the release dates were continually pushed back while Big Hutch worked on production assignments, including the debut album by Crooked I; amid all the album delays, rumors began to circulate about the group's breakup. The album would finally arrived in 2009 as a digital download, on the Beatology label, and under the title Sex, Money & Music. In July of 2012 it was announced that KMG had passed away, although there was no mention of his cause of death. ~ Steve Huey
Selected Discography
Track List: The A.T.L. Crime Files (Explicit)
Track List: Forever: Rich Thugs - Book One
Track List: Black Mafia Life
Track List: Livin' Like Hustlers
Similar Artists
Music gshit
It's hilarious though that whomever submitted the lyrics to this song made a lot of mistakes … starting with the beginning intro. It clearly says Looking for that good Stuff ... which is sampled from Fatback Band Backstrokin' .
F**k da new school..
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text:
What is acupuncture
Acupuncture is a health care system based on the stimulation of special points (meridians) near the surface of the skin. Its purpose is to help restore health and wellbeing by adjusting and balancing the energy flow (chi) and functions of the body's system.
Acupuncture is a Chinese therapy that uses, amongst other things, needles for treating diseases. For centuries now Acupuncture has been the most important part of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (T.C.M.) system used in the China, Japan and Korea. The reason is that Eastern thinking traditions, philosophy and Acupuncture have evolved together. In the Western world, where Acupuncture is of growing importance in medicine, the concept that mind, body and environment interact very closely is now widely accepted.
Acupuncture is based on the concept of energy. Energy in nature regulates (plant) growth, climates, seasons, day and night etc. In man, it takes care of all the processes that make people living creatures: seeing, hearing, thinking, feeling, digestion of food, breathing, sleeping, emotions, reproduction, etc., to make a long story short: everything.
In a natural, healthy situation, all forms of energy between an organism and its environment are in balance with each other. Disease, however, to put it simply, is a disorder of the natural balance. In cases in which the body is not capable of restoring the balance again by itself, Acupuncture can offer help.
Q: Does it hurt?
A: In Chinese, acupuncture is bu tong, painless. However, if the correct stimulus of the needle has been obtained, the patient should feel some cramping, heaviness, distention, tingling, or electric sensation either around the needle or traveling up or down the affected energy pathway or meridian. In English, these sensations may be categorized by some people as types of pain, which they are not in Chinese. In any case, if there is any discomfort, it is usually mild.
Q: How deep do the needles go?
A: That depends upon the nature of the problem, the underlying anatomy of the points selected, the patient's size, age, and constitution, and upon the acupuncturist's style or school. In general, needles are inserted from 1/4 to 1″ in depth in areas of teh body that are thick (buttocks).
Q: Are the needles clean?
A: Most acupuncturists in America today use pre-sterilized, individually packaged, disposable needles thus absolutely assuring that there is no transmission of communicable disease from patient to patient due to contaminated needles. The National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists does include a Clean Needle Test as part of every national board exam for acupuncturists in America.
Q: Do acupuncturists only insert needles?
A: No. As an integral part of what in English is called acupuncture, most practitioners are also trained to use a number of adjunctive therapies. These typically include moxibustion, which is the burning of the herb Artemisia vulgaris sinesis over the affected area to warm it, cupping, electronic stimulation, magnetotherapy, and various types of massage, such as acupressure, Shiatsu, Jin Shin Jyutsu, and/or Tuina Chinese remedial massage.
Q: How does acupuncture work?
A: That's a big question. Traditionally, acupuncture is based on ancient Chinese theories of the flow of Qi (energy_ and Xue (Blood) through discrete channels or meridians which traverse the body similar but not identical to the nervous and blood circulatory systems. According to this theory, acupuncture regulates this flow of Qi shunting it to those areas where is it Deficient and draining it from where it is Excess. Thus acupuncture regulates and restores the harmonious energetic balance of the body. In Chinese there is a famous dictum, "There is no pain if there is free flow; if there is pain, there is no free flow." Essentially acupuncture promotes the free and balanced flow of Qi and Blood.
Q: Are there different styles of acupuncture?
A: Yes, there are. Acupuncture originated in China but has spread to Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Europe, the British Isles, and America. In different countries, different styles have developed based on differing opinions as to theory and technique. Patients should query potential practitioners as to their particular style and orientation and should ascertain if that style is appropriate for the treatment of their individual ailment.
Q: What criteria should one use in choosing an acupuncturist?
A: Acupuncture is a licensed and regulated healthcare profession in approximately half the states in the Union. In those where it is licensed, patients should first of all ensure themselves that the potential practitioner is licensed. In those states which do not currently require licensing, patients should seek practitioners who are national board certified by he National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncturists. Acupuncturist having passed this exam usually append Dipl. AC. (NCCA) after their names. In addition, patients should inquire about where the practitioner was trained, how long the training was, how long he or she has been in practice, and what experience the practitioner has had in treating the patient's specific ailment. And, beyond intelligently checking a practitioner's professional credentials, the best assurance is word of mouth from satisfied patients.
Q: How many treatments will I need?
A: That depends upon the duration, severity, and nature of each individual's complaint. Generally from five to fifteen treatments are adequate for the majority of chronic ailments. Many acute conditions may only require a single treatment and some degenerative conditions may require scores of treatments. However, the patient has the right to expect that their major complaint will be addressed and treated in a direct and timely manner.
Q: Is there anything I need to do before receiving an acupuncture treatment?
A: Yes, the following suggestions will help you get the maximum benefits from your treatment.
- Maintain good personal hygiene to reduce the possibility of bacterial infection.
- In order to prevent loss, do not wear jewelry.
- Wear loose clothing. Women should not wear one-piece dresses. Avoid wearing tight stockings.
- Avoid treatment when excessively fatigued, hungry, full, emotionally upset, or shortly after sex.
Q: Is there anything I need to do while receiving acupuncture?
A: Yes, again.
- There's no need to be frightened. RELAX. Relaxation is something that cannot be overemphasized.
- If you experience dizziness, nausea, cold sweat, shortness of breath, or faintness during treatment this is known as needle shock. Immediately inform your practitioner and they will withdraw the needles. Needle shock is primarily due to anxiety in first-time patients. It rarely happen if the patient is treated lying down.
- Feel free to let your practitioner know of any pain or burning sensations experienced diuring acupuncture or moxibustion. If you find acupuncture or electro-acupuncture unbearable at any point during treatment, be sure to speak up so that the proper adjustments can be made.
- Do not change your position or move suddenly.
Q: What can I expect after treatment?
A: One may experience an immediate total or partial relief of their pain or other symptoms. This relief may last or some of the pain may return. In a few cases, the pain may seem even worse. This is called the rebound effect. By the next day, the pain can be expected to gradually improve. Often the mot dramatic results are experienced in the first treatment. However, one should see further incremental improvement after each subsequent treatment. In a few cases, there may be no immediate relief only to experience the pain diminish over the next couple of days.
Most patients will have more questions than these, such as: Should I continue taking my present medication? What should I eat? Is there anything I can do for myself at home? What signs of success should I look for first and after how long? All these are valid and valuable questions and can be answered in person by the practitioner. In the meantime, remember Acupuncture works!
When you should see an acupuncturist:
Common diseases treatable by acupuncture:
Pain after tooth extraction
Acute or chronic otitis
Nasal catarrh
Acute tonsillitis
Ringing in the ears
Poor eyesight
Allergic complaints
Hay fever
Chronic common cold
Sore throat
Respiratory Disorders
Bronchial asthma
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Esophageal and cardio spasm
Acute or chronic gastritis
Sour stomach
Chronic duodenal ulcers
Acute or chronic colonitis
Acute bacillary dysentery
Paralytic ileus
Eye Disorders
Acute conjunctivitis
Central retinitis
Nearsightedness (in children)
Cataracts without complications
Neurological and Muscular Disorders
Trigeminal neualgia
Facial paralysis (within the first 3-6 months)
Post-stroke paresis
Peripheral neuritis
Neurological bladder dysfunction
Bed wetting
Intercostal neuralgia
Cervical syndrome
Frozen shoulder
Tennis elbow
Low back pain
Genitourinary and Reproductive
Menopause-related complaints
Menstruation-related complaints
Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID)
Morning sickness