Thursday, March 3, 2016

http/2



We probably all knew http/2.0 was in the making ( IETF have removed the minor version to avoid confusion, so you can just  call it http/2 or h2 )

Recently,     I had an interesting read on how the  industry is adopting http/2 ,   and below is just a loosely unorganized  excerpt with some useful links:

The current web fact is :     unlike late 90’s ,  every initial  landing page today on an avg. has 2 MB+  statics ( after compressed L)  , 125+ objects , ~52 RCP connections , and ~28 domains  embedded  – the need why the existing protocols are relooked.

Majorly  (i) multiple round trips , and (ii) nervous/jittery  congestion control design ,   from  the previous version i.e. http/1.1 was looked into,    and was the anchor point in this whole research.

·         Last year IETF passed the draft of http/2.
·         HTTP/2 was based largely on Google’s own protocol SPDY ( which will be deprecated  from May 2016 to give lead to http/2)
·         Currently 76%+  existing browsers supports http2 ( includes Mozilla, Chrome , IE etc. )

Main features for http/2:

-          Single Connection ( unlike http1.1) / avoid multiple round trip.
-          Multiplexing!
-          Server Push! ( proactively additional content can be sent to client for latter’s later use.
-          Binary and not text.
-          Header Compression ( uses HPACK compression)

See a demo:

·         http://www.http2demo.io
·         https://http2.akamai.com/demo

Does my site supports http2:    

You can actually check it here  :  https://tools.keycdn.com/http2-test  

Can we ?  :

Well, yes -  but do we really need it? Also,   It calls for  work on the existing infra. 
Apache 2.4.17+ onwards ships with mod_http2.


Some cool reads :

Patrick Stox here  , and  also, 'Stephen Ludin' from Akamai explains it more here on emerging web performance technologies.  

Who in the world has already adopted it ( see it here).

Thx/- Deba

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Auto-pilot teams!


At times we tend to question the role of a pilot above many thousand feets from the ground , when the plane is in 'auto-pilot' mode :)

“Your job as a manager is to make yourself redundant.”  - this is a very old line which has always been so very thought provocative for many leaders to cogitate and prepare to be one,  and by being  vulnerable at times.

Its always a 'win-win' when our team is 'self-sufficien't. 

 Self-sufficiency comes from empowerment and  empowerment should be via setting the right direction. 

I personally prefer a crack! team around me  :)  ( Creative/Collaborative , Representative, Authorized/Autonomous , Committed, and who is  knowledgeable - if at all you are wondering the expansion of 'CRACK' :) !! )

Self sufficiency combined with creativity, excellent collaboration skills and  mutual respect for each others builds a great working environment.
 
As a leader we should exhibit sincere behaviors which tells our team(s) that - I am  genuinely interested and  engaged with them in thoughts and spirits.  Sometimes it might be that - technically you are not able to coach or guide them - but with a very 'natural dialogue' we can speak about it.  Yes - I can not know everything in the world. 

Leaders, most definitely, cannot be successful without genuinely engaging in the work of others.

As a leader we should also try to drip our teams with the importance of 'curiosity'. Not every clock tick needs an invention, but - I have seen that with a ' culture of innovation' people often occupy their heads with 'good' thoughts and this only emits positive vibes and energies. So , don't forget to keep them occupied with right things. 

Sincerity fosters confidence. As a leader we must strive to be very open and transparent and willing to admit mistakes. Also remember that people don't like phonies.  People don't like deceitful behaviors and culture. Giving someone their due credit is the best thing a leader can do, and having that culture of recognition they feel more secured and more connected.

This kind of a culture is what propels a team to heights that even the leader doesn’t often foresee.

I don’t want , nor need people coming to me for every decision. I usually empower my peoples and have the expectations set and encourage them to make routine decisions. That is a big positive attribute and at the same time brings that challenge  -  how we keep a close tab on things then.

Rainbows does not last long and the other side of the rainbow might not have the gold pot all the time. 

So,  if this culture sees people debilitating a well set harmonious culture - by running rough shots over colleagues or subordinates ...  or something such,  we have to be equally vigilant too! There are office idiots who chronically complains   and  contributes more than what is needed and less than their potential.
Self sufficiency combined with creativity, excellent collaboration skills & mutual respect for others makes for a great working environment. - See more at: http://katenasser.com/leaders-do-you-prefer-self-sufficient-team-members/#sthash.EHrPjeCS.dpuf

 I have not seen what a pilot does during the 'auto-pilot' mode :)   - but for us,  with such  'self-sufficient' teams, we can definitely focus on things which will (only) bring more productivity in us,  and to the organization. 

-( Deba )

Self sufficiency combined with creativity, excellent collaboration skills & mutual respect for others makes for a great working environment. - See more at: http://katenasser.com/leaders-do-you-prefer-self-sufficient-team-members/#sthash.EHrPjeCS.dpuf
Self sufficiency combined with creativity, excellent collaboration skills & mutual respect for others makes for a great working environment. - See more at: http://katenasser.com/leaders-do-you-prefer-self-sufficient-team-members/#sthash.EHrPjeCS.dpuf

Self sufficiency combined with creativity, excellent collaboration skills & mutual respect for others makes for a great working environment. - See more at: http://katenasser.com/leaders-do-you-prefer-self-sufficient-team-members/#sthash.EHrPjeCS.dpuf

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Disruption (vs) Disaster


Any disruption could have been stopped at some point with a proper Recovery Plan.  But then , when to call it a disaster?

 Disruption:
Incident < RTO
Impacts are limited and controlled
Disruption < $ (business determines threshold)

Disaster:

Incident  > RTO
Impacts are extensive and outside of your control
Disaster > $ (business determines threshold)

All of this requires Recovery Objectives to be identified prior.

-Deba

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