News

  • Found a new security bug in Apple M-series chipset
    The article discusses a new vulnerability in Apple’s M-series chips that allows attackers to extract secret encryption keys during cryptographic operations.
    The flaw is due to the design of the chips’ data memory-dependent prefetcher (DMP) and cannot be patched directly, potentially affecting performance.
  • Redis is changing its licensing
    Redis is adopting a dual licensing model for all future versions starting with Redis 7.4, using RSALv2 and SSPLv1 licenses, moving away from the BSD license.
    Future Redis releases will integrate advanced data types and processing engines from Redis Stack, making them freely available as part of the core Redis product.
    The new licenses restrict commercialization and managed service provision of Redis, aiming to protect Redis’ investments and its open source community.
    Redis will continue to support its community and enterprise customers, with no changes for existing Redis Enterprise customers and continued support for partner ecosystem.
  • Nobody wants to work with our best engineer
    The article discusses the challenges faced with an engineer who was technically skilled but difficult to work with.
    It highlights the importance of teamwork and collaboration in engineering, emphasizing that being right is less important than being effective and considerate.

Bash

Get your current branch fast up-to-date with master with this alias

alias git-update-branch="current_branch=$(git branch --show-current); git switch master && git pull --force && git switch $current_branch && git merge master"

Software Architecture

  • Chubby OSDI paper by Mike Burrows
    and here’s their presentation on this topic
    https://www.usenix.org/conference/srecon23emea/presentation/virji

  • Chubby is intended to provide coarse-grained locking and reliable storage for loosely-coupled distributed systems, prioritizing availability and reliability over high performance.

    It has been used to synchronize activities and agree on environmental information among clients, serving thousands concurrently.

    Similar to a distributed file system, it offers advisory locks and event notifications, aiding in tasks like leader election for services like the Google File System and Bigtable.

    The emphasis is on easy-to-understand semantics and moderate client availability, with less focus on throughput and storage capacity.

    Database Simplification: It mentions the simplification of the system through the creation of a simple database using write-ahead logging and snapshotting.
  • Introduction to Google Site Reliability Engineering slides by Salim Virji
    The presentation introduces key concepts related to SRE, emphasizing the importance of automating processes for reliability and efficiency.

    It also delves into the delicate balance between risk-taking and maintaining system stability.

    Throughout the slides, the material highlights teamwork, effective communication, and the impact of individual behavior within engineering teams. Overall, the session aims to equip students with practical insights for successful SRE practices while navigating the complexities of modern software systems.