APPRECIATION & ENCOURAGEMENTS FROM THE DIRECTOR, JNIT: ON MOTIVATION

Dear Students,

Last week and beginning of this third week of April,09 had witnessed finest creativity by Mr. Ankit Gupta, Mr. Satyam Shandilya, Mr. Sahil Mathur, Mr. Krishna Kumar Sharma and Mr. Ravindra Dadhich by starting JNIT NEWS LETTER and by Mr. Virendra Kedia, Mr. Ajay Jain, Mr. Manish Kasera, Mr. Saket Badaya by starting SDA BLOG. I felt that they have good amount of self motivation and dedication they know their goal. They know their path. They have enough determination and courage that no distraction or obstacle will deviate them from their path. I know there are many more students who are showing their creativity in other fields and are self motivated.

I am sure each one of you would like to excel in whatever you do. Each one of you would set high standards of academic achievement and finest of values of life.

I am sure one day you will achieve national and international recognition by pursuing path of hard work with a determined mind- set to more forward to achieve the goal with obsession for excellence. You will require perseverance, proper management of time and reading good books on lives of all great personalities who with humble beginning could create a name for them.



I am sure you will stand up and forge ahead every time you fall. Take out sometime to read about Thomas Elva Edison a great inventor or about Marrie Curie: The Noble prize winner. They will give you an idea about difficulties and success as in life.

Books like “Who Moved My Cheese” may start in some of you, the thinking process what to do in the changing scenario of economic recession or in general, any matter connected with any kind of change.

I am confident that by properly channelizing your energy and time in developing Technical knowledge, Analytical skills, communication skill and soft skill, you will turn into excellent global Technocrat, ready to take any challenge which comes in your path.

I wish each one of you a grand success in achieving the desired goal.


Sincerely yours,
Prof. Y.C. Bhatt,
Director (JNIT, Jaipur)

ZigBee® Wireless Standard

ZigBee is a wireless technology developed as an open global standard to address the unique needs of low-cost, low-power, wireless sensor networks. The standard takes full advantage of the IEEE 802.15.4 physical radio specification and operates in unlicensed bands worldwide at the following frequencies: 2.400–2.484 GHz, 902-928 MHz and 868.0–868.6 MHz. The 802.15.4 specification was developed at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The specification is a packet-based radio protocol that meets the needs of low-cost, battery-operated devices. The protocol allows devices to intercommunicate and be powered by batteries that last years instead of hours. The ZigBee protocol carries all the benefits of the 802.15.4 protocol with added networking functionality.

The ZigBee Protocol

The ZigBee protocol was engineered by the ZigBee Alliance, a non-profit consortium of leading semiconductor manufacturers, technology providers, OEMs and end-users worldwide. The protocol was designed to provide OEMs and integrators with an easy-to-use wireless data solution characterized by low-power consumption, support for multiple network structures and secure connections.

The ZigBee Advantage

The ZigBee protocol was designed to carry data through the hostile RF environments that routinely exist in commercial and industrial applications.

ZigBee protocol features:

• Low duty cycle - Provides long battery life
• Low latency
• Support for multiple network topologies: Static, dynamic, star and mesh • Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)
• Up to 65,000 nodes on a network
• 128-bit AES encryption – Provides secure connections between devices
• Collision avoidance
• Link quality indication
• Clear channel assessment
• Retries and acknowledgements
• Support for guaranteed time slots and packet freshness

ZigBee Applications

ZigBee enables broad-based deployment of wireless networks with low-cost, low-power solutions. It provides the ability to run for years on inexpensive batteries for a host of monitoring applications: Lighting controls, AMR (Automatic Meter Reading), smoke and CO detectors, wireless telemetry, HVAC control, heating control, home security, Environmental controls, drapery and shade controls, etc. Standard ZigBee® 802.15.4 Wi-Fi™ 802.11b Bluetooth™ 802.15.1 Transmission Range (meters) 1 – 100* 1 - 100 1 – 10 Battery Life (days) 100 – 1,000 0.5 – 5.0 1 - 7 Network Size (# of nodes) > 64,000 32 7 Application Monitoring & Control Web, Email, Video Cable Replacement Stack Size (KB) 4 – 32 1,000 250 Throughput kb/s) 20 – 250 11,000 720 * Digi’s XBee-PRO Module yields 2 – 3x the range of standard ZigBee Modules (up to 1200 meters).

Digi XBee & XBee-PRO Modules

Digi is a member of the ZigBee Alliance and has developed OEM solutions based on the ZigBee architecture. The XBee and XBee-PRO modules provide an easy-to-implement solution and a powerful boost to range and reliability to companies looking to offer.

ZigBee XBee and XBee-PRO features:
• Small form factor
• True plug-and-communicate wireless capability
• Optimized for low cost, low data rate applications
• Long battery life
• Robust security
• High data reliability
• Product interoperability – Modules are interchangeable and pin-for-pin compatible with each other
• XBee-PRO Modules yield 2-3x the range of standard ZigBee Modules (300’ – 1000’)

BY: SAKET BADAYA (CS, 6th sem)

UNIX INTRODUCTION

What is UNIX?
UNIX is an operating system which was first developed in the 1960s, and has been under constant development ever since. By operating system, we mean the suite of programs which make the computer work. It is a stable, multi-user, multi-tasking system for servers, desktops and laptops. UNIX systems also have a graphical user interface (GUI) similar to Microsoft Windows which provides an easy to use environment. However, knowledge of UNIX is required for operations which aren't covered by a graphical program, or for when there is no windows interface available, for example, in a telnet session.

Types of UNIX:
There are many different versions of UNIX, although they share common similarities. The most popular varieties of UNIX are Sun Solaris, GNU/Linux, and MacOS X. We use Solaris on our servers and workstations, and Fedora Linux on the servers and desktop PCs.

The UNIX operating system:
The UNIX operating system is made up of three parts; the kernel, the shell and the programs.
The kernel of UNIX is the hub of the operating system: it allocates time and memory to programs and handles the filestore and communications in response to system calls. As an illustration of the way that the shell and the kernel work together, suppose a user types rm myfile (which has the effect of removing the file myfile). The shell searches the filestore for the file containing the program rm, and then requests the kernel, through system calls, to execute the program rm on myfile. When the process rm myfile has finished running, the shell then returns the UNIX prompt % to the user, indicating that it is waiting for further commands.

The shell acts as an interface between the user and the kernel. When a user logs in, the login program checks the username and password, and then starts another program called the shell. The shell is a command line interpreter (CLI). It interprets the commands the user types in and arranges for them to be carried out. The commands are themselves programs: when they terminate, the shell gives the user another prompt (% on our systems). The adept user can customise his/her own shell, and users can use different shells on the same machine. Staff and students in the school have the tcsh shell by default. The tcsh shell has certain features to help the user inputting commands.

Everything in UNIX is either a file or a process. A process is an executing program identified by a unique PID (process identifier). A file is a collection of data. They are created by users using text editors, running compilers etc. Files can be a document (report, essay etc.), the text of a program written in some high-level programming language, etc. UNIX is really a reliable operating system with very few number of virus attacks because it does not support .exe, .bat extensions.

BY: ARUN CHUGH (IT, 6th sem)

Mainframes vs. supercomputers

The distinction between supercomputers and mainframes is not a hard and fast one, but supercomputers generally focus on problems which are limited by calculation speed while mainframes focus on problems which are limited by input/output and reliability ("throughput computing") and on solving multiple business problems concurrently (mixed workload). The differences and similarities include:

• Both types of systems offer parallel processing. Supercomputers typically expose it to the programmer in complex manners, while mainframes typically use it to run multiple tasks. One result of this difference is that adding processors to a mainframe often speeds up the entire workload transparently.

• Supercomputers are optimized for complicated computations that take place largely in memory, while mainframes are optimized for comparatively simple computations involving huge amounts of external data. For example, weather forecasting is suited to supercomputers, and insurance business or payroll processing applications are more suited to mainframes.

• Supercomputers are often purpose-built for one or a very few specific institutional tasks (e.g. simulation and modeling). Mainframes typically handle a wider variety of tasks (e.g. data processing, warehousing). Consequently, most supercomputers can be one-off designs, whereas mainframes typically form part of a manufacturer's standard model lineup.

• Mainframes tend to have numerous ancillary service processors assisting their main central processors (for cryptographic support, I/O handling, monitoring, memory handling, etc.) so that the actual "processor count" is much higher than would otherwise be obvious. Supercomputer design tends not to include as many service processors since they don't appreciably add to raw number-crunching power.

There has been some blurring of the term "mainframe," with some PC and server vendors referring to their systems as "mainframes" or "mainframe-like." This is not widely accepted and the market generally recognizes that mainframes are genuinely and demonstrably different.

By:- Mr.Nidhish Tiwari (Lecturer, E&C Deptt., JNIT)

BLU-RAY DISC

When the CD was introduced in the early 80s, it meant an enormous leap from traditional media. Not only did it offer a significant improvement in audio quality, its primary application, but its 650 MB storage capacity also meant a giant leap in data storage and retrieval. For the first time, there was a universal standard for pre-recorded, recordable and rewritable media, offering the best quality and features consumers could wish for themselves, at very low costs.

History proved that a significant five to ten time increase in storage capacity and the ability to play previous generation formats are key elements for a new format to succeed. This new format has arrived with the advent of Blu-ray Disc, the only format that offers a considerable increase in storage capacity with its 25 to 50 GB data capacity. This allows for the next big application of optical media: the distribution and recording of High Definition video in the highest possible quality. In fact, no other proposed format can offer the data capacity of Blu-ray Disc, and no other format will allow for the same high video quality and interactive features to create the ultimate user experience. As with DVD, the Blu-ray Disc format is based on the same, bare disc physical form factor, allowing for compatibility with CD and DVD.

BLU-RAY DISC KEY CHARACTERISTICS

1 Broadest Industry Support

The participation of the world's most renowned consumer electronics manufacturers and IT companies are leading in the success of the best standard for next generation storage: Blu-ray Disc. Blu-ray Disc is supported by leading hardware manufacturers across the CE and IT fields from the U.S., Europe, Japan and Korea, including Dell, HP, Hitachi, LG Electronics, Matsushita (Panasonic), Mitsubishi, Pioneer, Philips, Samsung, Sharp, Sony and Thomson/RCA. Finally, major blank media manufacturers including TDK are supporting the Blu-ray Disc format as the successor of DVD. This broad industry support will lead to a broad selection of Blu-ray Disc products, including home video decks, PC drives, PC's line-fitted with Blu-ray Disc drives and blank media, to be available when the format is launched in the various regions in the world.

2 Lifespan

The Blu-ray Disc format is designed to stay relevant for at least10 to 15 years. Its high storage capacity of 25 to 50 GB allows for the best possible High Definition video quality and satisfies even the most demanding data storage needs. Blu-ray Disc incorporates the additional storage space that High Definition feature, including bonus material, requires in the new standard from the beginning.

3 Content Protection

Blu-ray Disc provides some of the strongest copy protection schemes ever developed for any consumer format. It makes Blu-ray Disc the best choice for any content publisher wanting assurance that their valuable assets are protected from piracy. Based on feedback from the content industry and taking a clue from the lessons learned by other formats, the Blu-ray Disc format incorporates a robust copy protection mechanism, which not only relies on implementation at the playback device, but which also includes precautions at replication level, which will be strictly controlled. Unlike the voluntary implementation of CSS protection in DVD, the copy protection mechanism for Blu-ray Disc is mandatory and will be governed by strict licensing procedures.

4 Cost

. At comparable volumes, Blu-ray Disc production costs are within 10% of DVD production costs, although a Blu-ray Disc offers 5 to 10 times the capacity. It is by far the cheapest format measured in cost per GB. Since Blu-ray Disc requires less slots in a replication line compared to other formats, it will bring costs on par with DVD, or even cheaper, much sooner. Production facilities can produce many more Blu-ray Discs in the same time period as DVDs. Also, contrary to some rumors circulating, Blu-ray Discs do not require cartridges for any of the format variations (BD ROM, BD RE, and BD R).

5 Capacity
The Blu-ray Disc format offers the highest capacity of any consumer media format to date, also greatly surpassing the capacity of other format proposals. Blu-ray Disc's huge capacity allows not only for the highest quality High Definition video to be recorded at large bit rates (thereby eliminating the need for tight compression that could affect picture quality), it also opens up the doors to new and existing applications.

By :- Virendra Kedia (IT, 3rd Yr)