Keeping systems patched is one of the most basic security protections available. However, ongoing scanning of web hosts in Australia and New Zealand suggests that many servers are not being regularly updated or using basic security mechanisms.

Databases underlie most other applications, so it's no surprise that database-as-a-service options are becoming more common. But if you're thinking of rolling out databases in a cloud environment or consuming them as a service, there are some important caveats to bear in mind.

Having already spoken at several locations around the country during his Australian tour, Sir Tim Berners-Lee gave the final keynote at Linux.conf.au this morning. What are his thoughts on open platforms, operating systems choice, HTML5 DRM and the <blink> tag?

We're fans of using strange names for your wireless access point, whether that's to amuse yourself or to improve security. But you might need to be more careful if you take the same approach with a mobile hotspot at a public event such as a conference.

A footnote to our earlier discussion on why IPv6 hasn't been widely adopted: the numbering of the newer version is clearly designed to suggest that it's an improved successor to IPv4. But is that name actually logical and helpful?

Earlier this week I wrote about open source pragmatism and how even at an event like Linux.conf.au, there's less evidence of one-sided tech zealotry than you might expect. Now I'm wondering: how does that actually play out in the workplaces of Lifehacker readers?

We've known for decades that the available pool of IPv4 address was eventually going to dry up, but despite numerous warnings usage of its successor IPv6 is still minimal. Why haven't we migrated yet? Geoff Huston, chief scientist for regional internet registry APNIC, suggests that the answer is that carriers are too cheap to make the switch and are happy to rely on network address translation (NAT) systems instead.

Last year's court decision that ruled Optus' TV Now catchup service effectively illegal clearly dealt a blow to any plans to develop similar cloud-based TV recording services. But did it also cast a broader shadow over the prospects for other cloud-based developers?

Technology inspires enthusiasm and passion, and we often defend our choices in semi-rational tones replete with religious fervour. In your own life, you can do what you like. When you're working with IT in your career, you need to learn to compromise more readily.

In the cloud computing era, effectively managing servers and systems is more important than ever. Follow these basic principles to ensure that your workplace systems run smoothly (and advance your own career in the process).

If you are already running servers in a virtualised environment, then shifting into a cloud environment might seem like a relatively trivial step. However, there are some simple principles worth remembering to ensure the process happens with minimal hassle and that you can justify the costs involved.

You want noisy? Your computer isn't noisy. This clip features one of the Brocade core switches being used for the conference networking at Linux.conf.au being switched on for the first time.

IP is now the de facto standard for any kind of networking — so much so that many sites blindly implement it without any understanding of what went before. However, even if your business is running happily on IPv4 and you have a migration plan for IPv6 in place, understanding the history of how we arrived at using those standards can help you manage your own network better.

Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) is one of those standards that is implemented almost everywhere but ignored by almost everybody. While there are more sophisticated methods available for monitoring and managing network performance, SNMP survives partly because it remains the main option supported in many pieces of specialised networking hardware.

If you want to train large groups of students on how to use and deploy networking equipment, you'll need to rapidly redeploy fresh system images as each new class comes in. That sounds like an obvious case for using virtualisation, but there are some traps to be aware of before pumping out those virtual machine images.