MIG welding is the process of joining metal parts by melting the base metal and fusing it with a filler metal. The name is derived from the phrase "Metal Inert Gas," which is commonly used. The process involves using an arc between an electrode and the workpiece, which melts the base metal and fuses it with the filler metal.
Mig welding is an extremely versatile process that can be used to create virtually any shape or configuration of the welded joint. You can also use it for many different metals, including low carbon steel, stainless steel, and aluminum alloys.
The MIG welding equipment you'll need includes:
The torch supplies the heat needed to melt the wire. It has a handle, an on/off trigger, and a tip where the wire feeds. The torch also has an air regulator that controls how much oxygen is mixed with natural gas going into the burner head (the part of the torch where you attach your wire). You need to use this setting depending on what type of metal you're working with.
This holds the compressed gas used as fuel for the welding process. Welding torch to combust inside and heats up when activated by pressing down on your trigger switch or button. You'll also see these bottles or tanks. Still, they're all essentially identical in function—they vary slightly in size based on their gas capacity.
Protects your eyes from any spark produced by friction during MIG welding processes such as spatter creation during stick electrode usage.
The thickness of welding wire is measured in thousands of an inch (thou) or mils. The most common sizes of welding wire are as follows: 22-gauge (0.023"), 24-gauge (0.024"), 26-gauge (0.025"), and 28-gauge (0.028")
The gauge refers to the thickness of the wire and the higher the number, the thinner it is and the less heat it can take before melting or burning out on you when you're trying to weld with it.
You can adjust these settings to improve the quality of your weld or reduce the amount of heat you apply to the weld.
This controls how much material is deposited in each pass and determines how much heat will be required to melt it. A smaller diameter wire requires less energy and produces a cleaner weld, but it also requires more passes to build up a good bead.
This is how quickly you move through the molten pool when welding; too fast and you'll get porosity; too slow and it may take longer than necessary for each pass due to poor cooling.
MIG welding is a great way to get started in welding. It's really easy, and it's safe for beginners. You can use Mig welding for various projects, including light steelwork, ironmongery, and aluminum.
Mig welders are versatile, meaning they can handle almost any metal you want to weld with their different settings. They also include gas supplies that provide the shielding gas needed during the process, which makes them good value for money compared with other welder types.
Mig welding is a skill that anyone can pick up with only a little time and practice. If you're interested in learning how to weld but don't know where to begin, here are a few options:
Yes, you can use a TIG welder as a MIG welder. If your TIG welder has adjustable amperage, you can follow the steps listed above. TIG welders tend to have higher amperage settings than MIG welders, but they still require the same power as a MIG welder. Since a TIG welder is more versatile, it's worth investing in one if you're regularly using welding equipment or want more control over your project.
The machine uses a hollow wire and is filled with flux. Flux is the material that covers the weld and protects it from contamination when welding. You can use a flux core welder outdoors because the wind doesn't affect the weld because of the flux inside the wire. A flux core welder can also be used indoors with no gas if the welding material thickness is 1/2" or less. It isn't recommended to use Flux Core Welding for thinner materials on higher amperage settings, as there will be too much spatter and smoke
This is a common question, and the answer is: yes, but it depends on the type of wire you are using. Flux core wire doesn't need shielding gas, while solid welding wire does need shielding gas.
The type of work you do will determine whether you need a machine that uses shielding gas or flux core wire. For example, if you are working outdoors or inside with wind, you can use flux core wire since it does not require an external gas cylinder.
Because of SQL database errors, users are unable to access their valuable data, and it is their responsibility to fix the issues promptly to make sure that there are no severe data loss issues. There are some predominant database corruption errors and issues. You may promptly resolve them to avoid undesirable severe data loss. We will know more about database corruption errors, issues, and perfect solutions for fixing SQL server database problems.
Usually, there are three main reasons behind database failure. Let us examine each of them and identify ways to recover and restore your lost data.
If a computer or server is shut down improperly, or if it encounters a power outage or surge or something occurs that abruptly interrupts the process of writing data to the files, there are chances of the OS files getting corrupted or damaged severely. This may lead to critical data loss. After encountering such a crisis, you are advised to repair or at least, examine the filesystem to safeguard against any data loss in the future. For modifying or mounting a file system, a repair may be necessary. Even though a thorough check may not report or reveal any severe damage, you might still need to repair the filesystem.
Another effective way of repairing the corrupt or compromised database is by utilizing database console commands like CHECKDB, DBCC, or DBCC DEBREPAIR. These commands could help fix minor database issues. However, they are not efficient enough to tackle or resolve critical corruption cases.
Hardware failures will be including memory issues, bad disk sectors, disk crashes, and even disk with errors, among many other issues. Hardware failures could be because of design errors, overloading, and poor quality control at the time of fabrication, and degradation of mechanical parts. Software failures will be including issues associated with software like DBMS software, operating system, application programs, etc.
Irrespective of how trustworthy, your DBMS seems, it is not in a position to guarantee a failure-free seamless transaction each time. To prevent any kind of database failure, the most logical and proactive step is to consult with expert DBAs. Once the overall database health is analyzed, you may rest assured to avoid serious problems down the line.
Users should regularly back up their SQL database to restore the database, in case of corruption or damage. Backup is certainly the most effective way of dealing with corruption. Keep in mind that some data may be missing between the time when disaster struck and the last backup. You may consider using commands like DBCC CHECKDB to examine and resolve corruption issues. However, you may fail to repair and restore severely corrupted files using this command.
You may use SQL data recovery tools recommended by experts to repair and resolve corrupt database file issues due to a lack of a backup. Some cutting-edge tools are helpful in the recovery of deleted objects, and they even display a preview. SQL recovery could prove to be a daunting and stressful job. However, you may use some advanced SQL recovery tools for getting your databases back into action!
Hi readers! I hope you are doing well. Any solid building starts with a solid foundation; the slab under your feet carries the brunt of modern-day living. Now, we learn RCC Slab Design.
The design of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) slabs is one of the simple structural elements of any construction that shall form the level surfaces of the buildings, such as floors and roofs. RCC slabs combine the advantages of high compressive strength in concrete and high tensile strength in steel reinforcements, leading to a strong and load-bearing construction component. These slabs serve as vital links for transferring live loads (equipment, furniture, people) and dead loads (finishes, self-weight) to columns, beams, and finally to the foundation.
Depending on their support conditions, slabs may be broadly classified into two types—one-way slabs and two-way slabs. In one-way slabs, loading is mostly in one direction, usually when the length-to-breath ratio is greater than two. Two-way slabs are when they transfer loads in both directions, specifically supported on all four edges. For varying requirements of the structure, slabs may also be flat, ribbed, waffle, or hollow core.
The design of RCC slabs involves careful planning concerning span length, loading conditions, control of deflections, detailing of reinforcement, and serviceability. The design of slabs in contemporary times adheres to IS 456:2000 (India), ACI 318 (USA), or Eurocode 2, and is carried out either manually or utilizing some structural software packages. A proper design of RCC slabs ensures structural safety and integrity.
Here, you will find the RCC Slab, its functions, types, advantages, different types of materials used, principles, and software for the RCC Slab. Let’s start.
RCC slab refers to Reinforced Cement Concrete slab, which is a structural member in structures and infrastructures known as roofs and floors. RCC slab is constructed or made out of a flat, horizontal surface where a concrete mix is poured onto a system of steel reinforcement bars (rebars). Concrete is good at resisting any kind of compression, but less than satisfactory in resisting any type of tensile force. This shortcoming is compensated for by providing a steel reinforcement inside that takes up the tensile stresses and forms a composite material capable of resisting various types of structural loads.
Accordingly, different types of RCC slabs include one-way slabs, two-way slabs, flat slabs, and waffle slabs concerning support and design conditions. Apart from different construction methods, they are often found in residential, commercial, industrial, bridges, and parking decks. RCC slabs are the popular choice in construction now due to their lasting quality, ability to withstand fire, and low cost. The design of these slabs makes it possible to analyze them for the required safety and strong performance.
RCC slabs are essentially important structural elements found in almost all constructions of today. They perform many essential functions that contribute to the safety, stability, and efficient functioning of a building.
One major factor about RCC slabs is their ability to bear and distribute loads. These loads comprise the weight of occupants, furniture, equipment, or environmental forces like snow or wind pressure. The slab transmits these loads uniformly to the supporting beams and columns, or walls below. One vital factor is the load distribution, as a localized stress can cause cracking or structural failure. Thus, by providing load distribution, the RCC slabs target durability and longevity for the building.
RCC slabs very much contribute to a structure's general structural stability. They also take on the function of a horizontal diaphragm, which connects vertical members (primarily columns and walls) and enhances the overall rigidity and stability of the system. The slab also serves in resisting lateral forces from different actions, i.e., wind forces or seismic activity, distributing those loads throughout the entire structure, and decreasing the odds of collapse or excessive swaying.
RCC slabs not only have structural utility but also provide thermal and acoustic insulation for the users. Due to the thickness, components, and surface finishes, slabs can actually decrease heat transfer during these applicable components and help maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. Slabs also help minimize sound transfer by preventing sound from easily passing through the three-dimensional arrangement of unitized space. This sound transfer isolation is particularly useful for residential and commercial building types.
Slabs separate the interior of a building into floors or levels, creating distinct usable spaces vertically. This vertical division facilitates the architects and engineers to design multi-storey buildings effectively, in turn maximizing usable area per given plot. The slabs also provide a firm platform for any interior finishes, furniture, and equipment installed safely.
In RCC slabs, sorted materials are used and work as a group to offer increased strength, durability, and stability. All the materials have to meet a specific quality and function to contribute to the slab’s performance.
Cement is what binds together all the parts of concrete. You normally find RCC slabs built with ordinary Portland cement or a blend called Portland Pozzolana Cement. The quick setting and quick buildup of strength are reasons O.P.C. is used. Often, construction teams use both Grade 43 and Grade 53 O.P.C. in RCC slabs because of their strong compressive strength. When the cement, aggregates, and water are hardened together, the cement forms a strong foundation for the material. Durability and strength in a slab are strongly affected by the cement quality and grade.
Fine aggregate is mainly added between coarse aggregates to increase both the packing and workability of concrete. Fine particulate aggregates are often made by using either clean river sand or M-sand. M-sand is becoming used more often as natural sand starts to run out and cause environmental issues. Concrete should not be weakened because of impurities, which is why clay, silt, and organic matter must be avoided in the sand. Obtaining a dense and strong concrete mix is made easier by fine grading and a high fineness modulus of the aggregate.
Coarse aggregates provide concrete's strength and volume. Crushed stone or gravel is typically applied to RCC slabs in general. The size of coarse aggregates typically is not more than 20 mm to afford ease in mixing, placing, and compacting. Well-graded coarse aggregates help in raising compressive strength and reducing shrinkage cracks. Aggregates need to be hard, durable, and without deleterious material that tends to spoil the quality of the concrete.
Water is a constituent part of concrete, and through it, the chemical process known as hydration, cement sets and hardens. It must be clean and drinkable, free from salts, oil, acids, or other impurities that will weaken the concrete. Water-cement ratio decides the strength and quality of the RCC slab, and thus, careful measurement is necessary while mixing.
Steel reinforcement provides RCC slabs with tensile strength, which cannot be resisted by concrete. High-yield strength deformed bars, such as Fe500 or Fe55.0, are mostly utilized. They form a very effective bond with concrete due to their surface ribs. Mild steel bars can be occasionally used for stirrups and secondary reinforcement to confine the main bars and shear forces. Proper alignment and appropriate covering of the reinforcement are of utmost importance to protect it from corrosion and make the slab strong.
Category |
Type |
Description |
Based on the Support System |
One-Way Slab |
Supported on two opposite sides; load carried in one direction. |
Two-Way Slab |
Supported on all four sides; load carried in both directions. |
|
Cantilever Slab |
Supported on one end only; extends beyond support (e.g., balconies). |
|
Based on Construction |
Flat Slab |
Slab rests directly on columns without beams; allows flexible column layout and reduced height. |
Waffle Slab |
Grid-like slab with ribs in two directions; used for longer spans and heavy loads. |
|
Domed Slab |
Curved slab used for architectural appeal and lightweight roof structures. |
|
Based on Pre-Stressing |
Post-Tensioned Slab |
Steel tendons are tensioned after concrete casting, allowing longer spans and thinner slabs. |
Pre-Tensioned Slab |
Tendons are tensioned before casting, common in precast slab production. |
|
Based on Precast Design |
Hollow Core Slab |
Precast slab with hollow cores to reduce weight and material usage. |
The design involves balancing the strength, stability, usefulness, and cost of an RCC slab. Important factors in slab design are the load calculation, checking moments and shears, choosing the slab thickness, and designing reinforcing bars.
Design of the RCC slab starts by determining all the loads it needs to support:
Dead Load (DL): Self-weight of the slab and permanent finishes like flooring or plaster.
Live Load (LL): User-generated loads, furniture, and removable loads.
Superimposed Load: False ceilings, HVAC ducts, and non-structural partitions.
Environmental Load: Thermal or contraction loads, shrinkage loads, wind loads, and seismic loads.
These loads help calculate bending moments and shear forces, which define slab size and reinforcement.
Structural analysis methods like the Moment Coefficient Method, Yield Line Theory, and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) are used to calculate the bending moments and shear forces in the slab. These help in the calculation of the size and amount of reinforcement steel.
The slab depth is chosen to limit deflection and withstand loads:
One-Way Slab: L/d ratio = 20–25
Two-Way Slab: L/d ratio = 30–35
More depth gives strength, but also weight and cost.
Primary Reinforcement: Anchored in the span direction to give bending strength.
Distribution Steel: Anchored over main bars to distribute load and to prevent cracking.
Cover: Typically 15–25 mm, protects steel from corrosion.
Proper positioning and spacing make the building strong, durable, and resistant to cracking.
Determine Span and Support Conditions
Estimate Loads
Choose Slab Thickness
Calculate Bending Moments and Shear Forces
Design for Flexure
Check for Shear and Provide Stirrups if Needed
Check Deflection and Crack Control
Detail Reinforcement (Spacing, Diameter, Laps)
Check Development Length
Prepare Structural Drawings
Computer-aided RCC slab design depends greatly on advanced software to achieve accuracy, productivity, and conformance with design standards. They facilitate easier and more precise calculations as well as structural accuracy.
Very popular for structural analysis and designing, it supports multiple loads and can carry out thorough analysis for RCC and steel structures.
Perfect for building and high-rise analysis, ETABS makes modeling easy, load application easy, and structural design easy, particularly for shear walls and slabs.
Intended specifically for slab and foundation systems, SAFE offers detailed reinforcement layouts, punching shear checks, and deflection analysis.
With AutoCAD, you can detail and draft slabs and reinforcements for construction drawings in 2D.
With Revit, BIM software, both the structural and architectural parts of construction can be merged, helping to visualize and design projects with teams.
They help you achieve more, catch fewer errors, and develop RCC slab designs on a professional level.
The load capacity of RCC slabs is considered excellent. Being composed of concrete (strength against bending) and steel (strength against pulling or twisting), they become excellent for lifting heavy things without risk of breaking or twisting. For this reason, RCC slabs are best suited for construction in both homes and factories.
RCC slabs are known for their long-lasting service. These slabs can handle exposure to rain, differences in wind, and varying temperatures without problem. When made correctly and using high-quality materials, RCC slabs can continue to function well for many years with very little upkeep.
Fire has no impact on concrete, and it serves to insulate and cover the reinforced metal bars. If there is a fire, this aspect provides added security by holding up the building’s structure and allowing evacuation.
Slabs made with reinforced concrete can be formed to fit both the architecture and how the slabs will be used. Each style can suit different construction projects, so they are often used in floors, roofs, on balconies, or as steps.
Because cement, sand, gravel, and steel are common local materials, RCC slabs are relatively affordable. What’s more, work can be handled by local workers, bringing down expenses without reducing the project’s quality and durability.
RCC slab design goes beyond inserting steel into concrete by ensuring the building stays strong, serves its purpose well, and is safe for everyone inside. Through an RCC slab, loads are carried effectively to beams and columns, cracking and deformation are resisted, and a strong base is created for both roofs and floors. Appropriate material, the proper mix,x, and correct placement and curing of the reinforcement all directly affect how well the slab performs in the years to come.
As architectural designs and demands evolve, RCC slab design also advances with new technologies, improved materials, and environmentally friendly techniques. Engineers now employ computer software and advanced methodologies to design slabs that are not only durable but also economical. Whether it's a small house or a large commercial complex, adhering to good design principles is the key to success.
For engineers, architects, and even students, it is highly essential to learn about RCC slab design. It enables them to construct safe and durable structures that will suit the present and future needs.
Storing and analyzing big data is essential for process audits. For example, a company’s ongoing shipping audits explained several issues, including patterns of overcharges and delayed deliveries. A customer experience audit can yield similar findings by noting bottlenecks in the customer journey. All of these processes require the input of large sets of readable data.
Businesses need a data normalization process to store and filter raw data into useful information that can inform these valuable processes.
Data normalization is an automated process that organizes information into a database or table. As a result of normalization, data is searchable and verifiable. Normalized data is also easier to scan for errors, such as missing data or redundancies.
Most data normalization tables categorize data by recognizable fields. For example, a table of customer information would most likely contain their names, contact information, and job titles. Company data may contain labels such as product SKUs or employee identification numbers.
Data normalization tables prevent a phenomenon known as inconsistent dependency. This occurs when unrelated data items are entered in the same table. Data input should be logical so that anyone searching for a piece of information knows exactly where to find it.
Many software-as-a-service platforms, such as invoicing or customer management solutions, automatically normalize data. To reduce errors in automated normalization, companies must set a standard format for inputting data. Some commonly used conventions are abbreviations for addresses and job titles, or no hyphens or spaces in telephone numbers. Once data is normalized, it is easier to carry out important data analysis processes, including cleaning and interpretation.
Normalization tables come in several normal forms, known as NFs. Each NF has its own rules for organizing and displaying data. For example, a 1NF table restricts any cell from containing more than one piece of data. Additionally, no entry can be duplicated.
For example, if a data table contains a product that comes in several sizes, each size will be listed as a separate row rather than a distinct column. In a 2NF table, the searcher can pull up a separate table to view all of the color options for a particular product.
As normal forms advance, they build off one another. A 2NF pulls data from 1NF tables, a 3NF from a 2NF table and so on. While there are many normal forms to choose from, most databases only need up to 3NF to process and store data.
Choosing the correct normal form and preparing the data can be time-consuming. As a result, more developers opt to outsource this process to automated software.
As data collection has become ubiquitous, data normalization has become indispensable. Firstly, normalization corrals data into one depository. This reduces storage space by eliminating duplicate information. Browsing through normalized data also saves time as databases contain search functions that quickly identify the needed information.
Normalized data also lends itself well to segmentation. During segmentation, the analyst will filter the data through parameters, such as location, gender, or average purchase value.
Segmentation allows marketers to target specific demographics with tailored messaging. This process can also benefit internal business processes. For example, human resource departments may search for employees demonstrating signs of burnout, such as higher than normal call-outs, and connect them to resources.
Data normalization is also essential for monitoring metrics and performance. Normalization makes it possible to create visual dashboards to measure common indicators such as sales targets, vendor costs, and revenue.
Data normalization is an essential step in any business’s data strategy. As a developer, you can make you and your client’s jobs much easier by considering normalization as you create your projects and database structures.
Most developers follow the decades old principles created by relational database pioneer Edgar Codd. Codd’s 12 rules, since expanded to more than 300, outline the existential criteria for relational database management systems. While no system follows every rule, they are a foundational step for approaching normalization projects.
Almost all designers agree that Adobe Illustrator is the best tool for creating vector graphics. You can use the software to create artwork, logos, infographics, artwork, icons, and pretty much anything else you like. Adobe Illustrator uses mathematical formulas to scale images as opposed to pixels, which means resizing might strain your computer, but you get seamless and infinite resizing.
Adobe Illustrator is not free. You get a free seven-day trial and then have to pay $20.99 per month after that.
Affinity Designer is regarded by many as the best Adobe Illustrator alternative. It is great for beginners and experienced designers alike, offering an intuitive interface and user-friendly features. You can also use it for almost all design work, and its two notable features are its 8,000X history steps and 1,000,000% zoom. Both of these features make it perfect for working with clients who want even the smallest details to be perfect.
In the past few years, stickers have grown exponentially in popularity, and it is almost impossible to go a day without seeing at least one sticker in real life or on social media. They are great promotional tools because they can be added to books, flasks, guitars, laptops, social media, and so many other places. With stickers being such useful marketing tools, designers need a way to create them easily.
Picsart Sticker maker makes it easy to make your own stickers, you only have to upload your photo and work on it using the tool. The platform also makes it easier to share all your stickers online or print physical copies for distribution.
Canva is an all-around online design tool that you can use to design almost anything. It uses a drag-and-drop interface that is familiar to many people, and that makes it easy even for beginners to whip up some quick and professional-looking designs.
The tool also comes with lots of backgrounds, templates, fonts, and images to get you started. Do note that you need to pay to get access to some of the assets on the platform.
Canva also stands out due to its social media integration; you can post designs directly from Canva to your accounts.
Pixlr is an image editing tool that is a little different; it does not come with all the tools other apps do. It provides all the basic and essential tools you need without requiring you to learn how to use new tools or integrate them into your workflow. Because of this, Pixlr is perfect if you are looking for a tool to help you complete quick edits.
Pixlr is part of an ecosystem of complementary design tools and supports many of the popular design file formats. It also uses a drag-and-drop interface which makes things a lot easier, even for beginners. As with Canva, it also comes with numerous design tools and templates to get you started quickly.
There are different graphic design tools, apps, and platforms available depending on what you are looking for. For beginners, there are online apps with simple features that get simple products done, while for professionals there is software that makes it easier to handle and complete massive and complex design projects.
Data loss or inaccessibility after a natural disaster is a significant concern. After Hurricane Sandy in 2012, data centers in Manhattan had to extract water from the generator rooms and restore switchgear to become operational. In the U.K., flooding in Leeds caused immense water damage to a Vodafone facility that it had to close for several days.
According to the Insurance Information Institute, over 25% of businesses never reopen after an extreme weather event. Fortunately, preventing disaster-related downtime is possible through proper monitoring systems and a disaster recovery plan.
Knowing which natural disasters to expect based on your server room and data center location can make the difference. Here’s how to protect your facility from the most common natural disasters.
Three levels of fire protection exist.
Your country will have specific fire suppression system standards. Typically, data centers choose between two sprinkler systems, wet pipes or pre-engineered. The former will have water in its pipes which automatically flow once you trigger the fire alarm. The only con is that wet pipe sprinklers can suffer leakage, damaging the servers.
On the other hand, pre-engineered sprinklers require two-point activation to disperse water. It’s also the preferred choice for many businesses. Depending on the model, some pre-action sprinklers operate on a quadrant level. Therefore, they will only disperse water in that specific area once activated. Like the wet piping, this system poses a risk of water damage, so you should consider installing a gaseous system instead.
Gaseous systems employ a clean agent or inert gas. The latter uses nitrogen and argon to reduce the oxygen in the server room, thereby putting out the fire. Note that you will need to install sound muffling equipment to prevent damage to hard drives.
Clean agent systems like FM-200 are a better option. They eliminate the fire through absorption. Also, they have low emissions and are non-conductive and non-corrosive, making them environmentally friendly.
Regular inspections ensure you stay compliant. Typically, the expert will confirm that the suppression systems and fire alarm is in good condition. More importantly, they’ll inspect whether the fire protection interface meets the sensitivity prerequisites.
Flooding can cause grave consequences from short circuits to corrosion. Besides rainfall-related flooding of a server room, several water sources can threaten the data security of your server room. These include:
Before taking action, you’ll need to perform a risk assessment to determine areas that require water leakage detection.
Monitoring systems are the simplest way to detect water leakage to prevent water damage. Various systems are available in the market. Typically, businesses choose between zone leak and distance-read leak monitoring systems. Zone leak detection is the ideal choice for small server rooms. In comparison, distance-read monitoring systems are suitable for large server rooms precisely because they can pinpoint the exact location
Which system should you choose? We recommend a centralized one that detects water leakage and humidity, motion, plus ambient temperature. A vital aspect of this system is a distribution list for fire alerts. Emails, SNMP, and SMS are excellent circulation, monitoring, and reporting channels.
Different leak detection cable runs range between two and fifty meters. These cables can go under power cables. And if any water starts leaking from the air conditioning systems or backup drains, these cables can detect with pinpoint precision and let you know the exact floor tile.
In case of leakage, swift action is paramount to save equipment and other items in the server room. An experienced water damage remediation company will perform immediate water extraction and contents restoration.
Earthquakes impact the most damage to server rooms and data centers than any other natural disaster. Approximately 500,000 incidents occur globally. The double aftermath of IT equipment damage and downtime can result in business closure. And although the world is yet to come up with tech that would predict the exact time and location of an earthquake, there are seismic planning activities you can do to protect your servers.
Rigid bolting is the most common server protection approach. Doing so secures equipment racks to the floor. And as a result, it prevents the server racks from vibrating during an earthquake. While you may want to perform cabinet bolting instead, this method only protects the employees, and servers can only escape damage if it’s a mild earthquake.
Base isolation technology is a more effective earthquake protection method. It works by significantly decreasing the path through which vibrations pass. As a consequence, it channels the seismic motions away from your servers. If your data center is located in an earthquake-prone area, base isolation systems ensure your business achieves tier 4 classification, i.e., zero disruption to the critical load.
Preventing power outages in your server room is perhaps the primary focus when preparing for hurricanes.
Here’s what you can do.
Natural disasters have proven to be a significant threat to data centers. For some businesses, the equipment damage is beyond repair, and for others, the downtime results in loss of customer trust. Having robust monitoring and report systems can mitigate disaster-related damage, thereby ensuring business continuity. Preparedness always pays off. Ultimately, leaving your servers unprotected with such high stakes would be a miscalculation.
The kind of data generated in every business environment varies, and these data sets only become useful once they are harnessed to give useful insights. Data engineers are the professionals often tasked with building and maintaining key systems that collect, manage and convert these data sets.
The huge amount of data generated in different industries has expanded the data engineering profession to cover a wide range of skills, including web-crawling, distributed computing, data cleansing, data storage, and data retrieval.
Over the years, data storage has become a subject of interest in the data engineering field, thanks to the rise of modern data storage options. Most data engineers and scientists are familiar with SQL databases such as MSSQL, PostgreSQL, and MySQL, but the shift in preference is slowly changing this narrative.
The need for speed, flexibility, and adaptability has also become apparent in data handling, and non-conventional data storage technologies are now coming to market. Several businesses are also embracing storage as a service solution, and the trend is just getting better. Below, we have discussed the three data storages that are increasingly becoming popular among data engineers.
Search engines, documents stores, and columnar stores are the three technologies that are seeing wider adoption in the data handling field. Here’s a quick overview of how they operate and why they are becoming storage options of choice.
When defining data storage in the data engineering field, three critical aspects are used to score the best storage solutions. These are data indexing, data sharing, and data aggregation.
Ideally, each data indexing technique improves specific queries but undermines others. So knowing the kind of queries used can often help you choose the right data storage option.
Data sharding is a process in which a single dataset is split and distributed across multiple databases so they can be stored in various data nodes. The goal is often to increase the total storage capacity of a given system. Sharding determines how the data infrastructure will grow as more data is stored in the system.
On the other hand, data aggregation is the process where data is collected and expressed in a more summarized manner before they are ready for statistical analysis. The wrong data aggregation strategy can limit the performance and the types of reports generated. Below, we’ve broken down the three data storage types based on the data indexing, sharding, and aggregation capabilities.
Search engine storage Elasticsearch is a data store that specializes in indexing texts. Unlike the traditional data stores that create indices based on the values in the field, this storage type allows for data retrieval with only a fragment of the text field. This is also done automatically through analyzers. The latter are modules that create multiple index keys after evaluating the field values and breaking them into smaller values.
Elasticsearch is built on top of Apache Lucene and provides a JSON-based REST API that refers to Lucene features. Scaling is often done by creating several Lucene shards and distributing them to multiple servers/nodes within a cluster. Therefore, each document is routed to its shard through the id field. When retrieving data, the master server sends each shard/ Lucene instance a copy of the query before it finally aggregates and ranks them for output.
Elasticsearch is document-based storage whose content can be bucketed by ranged, exact, or geolocation values. The buckets can also be grouped into finer details through nested aggregation. Metrics such as mean and standard deviations can be calculated easily for every layer, making it easy to analyze several parameters in a single query. However, it suffers the limitation of intra-document field comparisons. A solution is often to inject scripts as custom predicates, a feature that works for one-off analysis but is often unsustainable due to degraded performance in production.
MongoDB is a generic data store with lots of flexibility for indexing a wide range of data. However, unlike Elasticsearch, it’s designed to index the id field by default; hence you’ll need to manually create indices for the commonly queried fields. MongoDB’s text analyzer is also less powerful than that of Elasticsearch.
MongoDB’s cluster contains three types of servers: shard, config, and router. The servers will accept more requests when you scale the router, but most workloads are often directed to the shard servers. Like Elasticsearch, MongoDB documents are routed by default to their specific shards. When you execute a query request, the config server communicates to the router and shards the query. The router server then distributes the query and retrieves the results.
MongoDB’s Aggregation Pipeline is fast and very powerful. It operates on returned data in a stage-wise fashion, where each step can filter, transform and combine documents or unwind previously-aggregated groups. Since the operations are done step-by-step, the final documents are filtered, which minimizes the memory cost. Like Elasticsearch, MongoDB lacks the intra-document field comparison; hence it can’t use distributed computing.
Unlike MongoDB, Elasticsearch, and even the traditional SQL databases, Amazon Redshift doesn’t support data indexing. Instead, it reduces the query time by consistently sorting data on the disk. That is, each table has its sort key that determines how rows have been stored once the data is loaded.
Amazon Redshift’s cluster has one leader node and multiple compute nodes. The leader node computes and distributes queries before sampling intermediate results. Compared to MongoDB’s router servers, this leader node is very consistent and cannot be scaled horizontally. This creates some limitations but allows efficient caching for specific execution plans.
Since Amazon Redshift is a relational database that supports SQL, it’s quite popular among traditional database engineers. It also solves the slow aggregations common with MongoDB when analyzing mobile traffic. However, it doesn’t have the schema flexibility that Elasticsearch and MongoDB have. It’s also optimized for reading operations and hence suffers from performance issues during updates.
From the three alternative storage options above, choosing the ultimate best isn’t as obvious as it may seem. Depending on your unique data storage needs, one storage option is always better than the other. So instead of narrowing down to the ultimate best, you want to compare the different features and capabilities against your needs and then choose those that work best for you.
The majority of these companies need skilled developers and engineers to build safe and robust eCommerce sites to house their businesses. If you are interested in specializing in eCommerce development, you would be remiss to ignore the advantages and disadvantages of each payment gateway option.
Payment gateways allow online customers to purchase products seamlessly and securely. However, they are not all created equal. As an engineer or site developer, you should understand the technical and practical implications of each payment gateway type.
All businesses need a way to collect money from their customers. While a brick-and-mortar shop uses a cash register and payment terminals to manage its transactions, online retailers must use web-based options.
To protect customer information from being hacked during the transaction, eCommerce shops use payment gateways to encrypt user data and authorize the transaction.
Gateways can also perform functions that you may have encountered when paying with a credit card. For example, gateways can automatically calculate tax, shipping costs, and custom fees based on the customer’s location and accept payments in multiple currencies.
Since the first payment gateway came online in 1996, there have been numerous innovations in technology and software. Today, customers and retailers can choose from dozens of options, including providers that operate in specific regions of the world. Many gateways do not even interact with banks, and instead, draw and deposit money from virtual wallets or accounts.
When integrating a payment system for a client, you must consider how each gateway type will impact the customer experience and the retailer’s bottom line.
Systems that are flawed, appear unprofessional, or constantly crash can put off customers and lower sales. Relatedly, while customers prefer to select from multiple payment options, having too many integrated into one shop can also make customers wary. It is essential to understand your client’s business and end clients to select the best class of payment gateway for their eCommerce site.
This payment gateway moves customers from the eCommerce site to the payment service provider’s web page to complete the transaction. If the provider is widely-known and trusted, such as PayPal, this can increase customer confidence. However, this will have the opposite effect if the provider is not a household name.
Further, while leveraging the name recognition and secure infrastructure of a large payment service provider can help boost sales, retailers are reliant on a third party to handle transactions. Customers will have to go through the payment service provider to handle issues with payment processing, refunds, and other transactions. If the third party does a poor job, it can affect your clients’ businesses.
Clients can also maintain a payment gateway directly on their website. When a customer pays, the transaction through an embedded payment gateway is connected directly to the retailer’s account.
Many invoicing and bookkeeping software offer this type of payment gateway. Onsite providers give retailers more control over the customer’s experience, but there is no outside support for handling issues.
Retailers who want complete oversight of their payment gateway may prefer an Application Programming Interface hosted system. The look and feel of the system can be designed to fit the company’s branding and culture.
However, if you build this type of gateway, you are also responsible for ensuring it meets all of the security requirements for handling customer financial data. You can ensure compliance under the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard by following a PCI DSS compliance checklist.
Finally, small-scale vendors may opt for the security, ease, and reputation of a bank-integrated payment gateway. These systems are integrated within the banking system to facilitate virtual bank-to-bank transactions. Zelle, one of the largest such gateways in the U.S., is compatible with more than 30 national banks, including Bank of America and Chase.
While bank integrated payments are instant and often incur no fees, they are only accessible to customers with an account at a participating bank. This can greatly reduce accessibility, especially on the international market. Also, many of these gateways cannot handle high-volume transactions.
If you are working with an established payment service provider like PayPal, Apple Pay, or a bank integrated gateway, you can rest assured that the system is compliant and secure.
However, if your client is interested in an API-hosted gateway, you will need to be much more diligent. In addition to adhering to the PCI DSS, you will need to install a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate to ensure the website can transmit and receive encrypted data securely. The highest quality SSL certificate runs about $1,000 per year, but affordable and secure options cost around $60 per year.
So far, the 2020s are turning out to be an era when engineering advances have come to the rescue of everyday consumers. That's true when it comes to convenience, safety, comfort, saving money, and efficiency. How can you make a plan to acquire your favorite tech products for the home? Start by choosing a few that are suited for your house or apartment, and then make a detailed budget to cover all the costs. Here's how to get started, along with a short listing of the current top selling favorite items.
The most appropriate way to upgrade your home's technology profile is to select several products that fit in with your lifestyle, personal preferences, and budget. Depending on where you live and how large your dwelling is, some items will make more sense than others. There are many real-life products of Internet of Things that pertain to your home. If you're not sure about how much energy it takes to operate your home annually, check with your utility company before selecting an energy-saving device. As well, evaluate your need for things like robo-vacuums, shower meters, and walkway lights. Some homes just aren't good candidates for every gadget that comes along. After making a plan, move on to the budgeting phase of the operation.
Unless you have enough cash on hand to finance a major purchase, it's wise to consider taking out a personal loan to cover all the costs of upgrading your living space. Keep in mind that unless you're exceptionally handy, you'll likely need to hire professional installers for some tech products. When creating a budget, include the cost of both the item and installation. If you intend to purchase extended warranties, add that cost in too. Working with a lender to apply for a personal loan is the most efficient way to deal with home improvement costs like security systems, specialized lighting, and others. Many consumers are surprised to realize how easy it is to pay for everything at once with a loan.
Cutting water use is easy with modern engineering on your side. Everyone has encountered the motion activated faucets in public restrooms. Now, you can install these same money saving devices in all your bathrooms, kitchens, and wherever there's running water. It might seem like a small issue, but smart faucets cut household water usage by as much as 10 percent for the average family. That means cutting utility bills significantly and saving money year-round.
If you like the ambiance and attractiveness of a lighted walkway in front of your house, check out some of the solar offerings available at improvement retailers. You can go small or extravagant with this project, but the upshot is that there's no wiring or electrical cost because the entire arrangement uses solar power. Some homeowners choose to line every cement or paved area with these lights. Not only do they look great and make your home literally shine after dark, but they help prevent falls.
Robo-vacs have been on the market for nearly two decades, but today's versions are better than ever. For one thing, they're quieter. They also use less energy, can monitor their paths with more precision, and come with high-tech filters as well as larger dust containers. For apartment residents, there are smaller vacs that are easier to store and don't take up much space. The high-end robo-vacs are lightweight powerhouses that do an excellent job of cleaning hardwood floors, linoleum, thick rugs, and numerous other surfaces. Some can automatically change their power levels based on the surfaces they detect.
Recent breakthroughs in engineering made these clever gadgets possible. Not only do they measure the amount of water you're using or have used, but they also monitor the temperature to deliver a total readout of how much energy and water you use when showering, washing hands, or taking a bath. Meters are a convenient way to become aware of precisely what it costs to do ordinary daily chores and adjust your activities accordingly. For large families, cutting water usage in baths and showers can chop a sizeable chunk off the monthly bills for water and the electricity used to heat it.
For those who like to minimize electricity use, the newest smart power strips can work in any room where you use multiple appliances. These days, that means pretty much every room in the house. Each strip includes several smart outlets that use motion detection to turn off things like lamps, TVs, and audio systems when they sense no human presence for a specified amount of time. Some of the outlets are standard, always on versions like you already have on your walls. The beauty of smart strips is that you'll never have to worry about leaving the lights on again.
The latest security devices are all-around wonders that can detect any movement of windows and doors all through the house. Plus, you can monitor the entire system via an app on your phone, desktop computer, or from any remote device. Whether you're taking a nap or away on vacation, it's easy to set alarms that tell you when someone is attempting to enter your home. These ingenious products are ideal for any owner but especially for families who have small children and for adults who live alone.
Public cloud computing systems enable businesses to complement their data centers with worldwide servers that can scale processing capabilities up and down as required. In terms of value and security, hybrid public-private clouds are unparalleled.
However, real-time AI applications demand substantial local processing capacity, frequently in areas distant from centralized cloud servers. speedpak tracking is among the services including AI for the safety of your goods and parcels.
Moreover, some workloads demand low latency or data residency and must stay on-premises or specified locations.
That is why many businesses use edge computing to implement AI applications.
Instead of storing data in a centralized cloud, edge computing saves data locally in an edge device. Moreover, the gadget may function as a stand-alone network node without an internet connection.
Cloud and edge computing offer many advantages and application cases.
Cloud computing is a computing approach in which scalable and elastic IT-enabled capabilities are supplied as a service through the Internet.
Cloud computing's popularity is growing as a result of its many advantages. Cloud computing, for example, has the following benefits:
Edge computing is the process of physically bringing computational capacity closer to the source of data, which is generally an Internet of Things device or sensor. Edge computing, so named because of how computing power is delivered to the network's or device's edge, enables quicker data processing, higher bandwidth, and data sovereignty.
Edge computing lowers the need for huge volumes of data to travel between servers, the cloud, and devices or edge locations to be processed by processing data at the network's edge. It is especially relevant for current applications like data science and artificial intelligence.
Edge and cloud computing have unique advantages, and most businesses will utilize both. Here are some things to think about when deciding where to deploy certain workloads.
In contrast, cloud computing is ideal for non-time-sensitive data processing, but edge computing is ideal for real-time data processing.
Also, the former requires a dependable online connection, while the latter should encompass rural regions with little or no internet access.
Furthermore, cloud computing stores data in the cloud, but edge computing includes very sensitive data and tight data rules.
Medical robotics is one example of when edge computing is superior to cloud computing because surgeons want real-time data access. These systems include a significant amount of software running on the cloud.
Still, the sophisticated analytics and robotic controls increasingly used in operating rooms cannot tolerate latency, network stability difficulties, or bandwidth limits. In this case, edge computing provides the patient with life-saving advantages.
Convergence of cloud and edge is required for many enterprises. Organizations centralize when possible and disseminate when necessary.
Firms may benefit from the security and management of on-premises systems with hybrid cloud architecture. It also makes use of a service provider's public cloud resources.
For each firm, a hybrid cloud solution implies something different. It might imply training in the cloud and deploying at the edge, training in the data center and deploying at the edge using cloud management tools, or training at the edge and deploying in the cloud to centralize models for federated learning. There are several options to connect the cloud and the edge.
Though both the computing systems are equally important, each carries distinctive perks. As the world is moving toward the hybrid approach, understanding the right computing choice will ease your process. Our guide will assist in this regard.
