RFID

 You can scan multiple tags at once, which results in fast reading. Because RFID
allows you to identify each individual item, you will avoid scanning twice the
same item, which is a recurring issue with barcode
 RFID tags are sturdier and more reusable. They can be read also in harsher
environments. Advanced RFID tags can even embed sensors for temperature,
humidity or moisture
 You don’t need line of sight for tag reading. If you are within range, you can
read RFID tags even at a distance (reading range up to 15 meters)
 RFID tags can store more data and with a higher degree of complexity, like
product maintenance information and expiry dates. Moreover, that data can be
encrypted. This also means you can identify specific items (for example, RFID
does not only identify a product or SKU, but enables you to track and trace
individual units with the same SKU)
 More secure, accurate, and less labor-intensive
 Metal and liquids can interfere with the functioning of RFID tags (but the
technology is rapidly evolving)
 Tag information can be encoded (read and write functionality)

BARCODE

 You need to scan each tag individually, which results in slow reading
 Barcode tags are printed on paper or adhesive and they tend to suffer more
from wear and tear. Dirty or damaged tags cannot be read
 You need to keep the scanner in line of sight with the tag, which results in
short reading range
 Barcode tags can only store a limited amount of data, usually generic
information like name, SKU, and manufacturer
 Lighter and usually cheaper
 Read-only functionality
PROPRIETORY SOFTWARE

Proprietary software consists of software that is licensed by the copyright holder under

very specific conditions. In general, you can use the software, but you are not allowed to
modify the software or distribute it to others.

The original source code for the software is not available, which means you can't see the
actual code written by the programmers. Proprietary software is, therefore, also referred to
as closed-source software. This is done on purpose to protect the intellectual property
invested in software development. If the source code were released, even with copyright
restrictions, competitors could benefit from using this code.

Many proprietary software applications are also commercial, meaning that you have to pay
for a license. However, many other proprietary software applications are free. The fact that
software is free does not mean it is not proprietary.

There are numerous examples of proprietary software. Both the Windows and Mac
operating systems are proprietary, and so are many of the typical software applications
used in organizations, such as Microsoft Office. Many specialized software applications, such
as those used for database management and various types of enterprise information
systems, are also proprietary. In many cases, software companies have invested many years
of software development into a product. By making the software proprietary, they are
protecting their investment and making it possible to commercialize their software. The
revenue from software sales can then be used to continue developing the software.

Shareware is proprietary software that is made available to users at no cost under certain
conditions. For example, shareware may have limited functionality relative to the
commercial version of the same software, or the license for the software may expire after a
certain trial period. The rationale behind shareware is to give potential users the chance to
evaluate the softwa

OPEN SOURCE

Free and Open-Source Software

Open-source software, as the name suggests, is software for which the source code is
released. This means that users can look at exactly how the software was created using one
or more programming languages. This is done on purpose so that anyone can benefit from
using the code. A typical license for open-source software gives users the right to modify
and distribute the software.

Open-source software is typically free to use, which has led to the use of the term free and
open-source software, or FOSS. This acronym is widely used, but many people use 'FOSS'
and 'open-source software' interchangeably.

Open-source software is often developed in a collaborative manner, where many users

contribute to ongoing improvements. Typically, a user community maintains a website
where the latest version of the software can be obtained and where users can share ideas
on how to use and improve the software.
The license for most open-source software uses what some have called copyleft. This is a
play on the word 'copyright.' To understand what this means, it is worth considering how
open-source software could be misused by someone. Consider that anybody can download,
modify and distribute open-source software. What would stop a company from creating its
own version of the software and then start selling it? That is where copyleft comes in. The
license for open-source software specifically states that a user is not allowed to put
restrictions on its use or distribution. So, by agreeing to the license, you can't start selling
the software later.

Copyleft uses copyright law to make open-source software freely available to be modified,
requiring that all modified and extended versions are to be free as well. The most widely
used example of a copyleft license is the GNU Public License, or GPL. So, when you look at
software and you see that the license is GPL, this means the software is open source.

There are numerous examples of free and open-source software applications. One of the
most successful examples is the Linux operating system. Linux is used by many
organizations and has also resulted in numerous spinoff efforts. For example, the Android
operating system used on mobile phones is based on Linux and is also free and open
source.

Off the Shelf Software defined

Off the shelf software are standardised software applications that are mass-
produced, available to the general public, and fit for immediate use. They are
designed for a broad range of customers, offering a comprehensive set of features
to streamline operations.

 Gmail and Microsoft are elemental and generic software products designed
to support common functionalities such as emailing and file sharing. These
are secure solutions that are even customisable to an extent as enterprises
can make their own private accounts.
 Advanced Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software  such as
Salesforce CRM, Insightly, HubSpot CRM, and Zoho CRM – all are ready-
made, user-friendly solutions for those looking for CRM suites.
 Enterprise Resource planning (ERP) software  such as SAP ERP by Oracle,
Sage Intacct, and Microsoft Dynamics.
 Sage, Xero, Quickbooks and KashFlow are all accounting software
applications that allow businesses to quickly and easily produce a plethora
of financial reports.
 Video games such as FIFA, Call of Duty, and Angry birds.
 Antivirus programs including, but not limited to, Bitdefender, Norton, and
Kaspersky.
 Media players such as VLC Media Player and Windows Media Player.

FREEWARE

Freeware is software, most often proprietary, that is distributed at no monetary cost to the end
user. There is no agreed-upon set of rights, license, or EULA that defines freeware unambiguously;
every publisher defines its own rules for the freeware it offers. For instance, modification,
redistribution by third parties, and reverse engineering are permitted by some publishers but
prohibited by others.[1][2][3] Unlike with free and open-source software, which are also often
distributed free of charge, the source code for freeware is typically not made available.[1][3][4][5]
Freeware may be intended to benefit its producer by, for example, encouraging sales of a more
capable version, as in the freemium and shareware business models.[6]

OEM License
An OEM, or original electronics manufacturer, license is the default license for
software bundled with a new hardware purchase. Software may come pre-
installed or as a compact disk in a sleeve, and sometimes it will be both, with
the disk being the backup copy. When you buy a new computer from a big box
store, for example, its included Windows operating system uses an OEM
license.

Paper License
For a business looking to install a piece of software across many computers,
the OEM license is not the most efficient way to license the program, as it is
aimed more at individual end users. Instead, a more common solution in such
a scenario is to purchase one copy of the software and request a "paper
license" from the software company, allowing the software to be installed in
many machines with a single license key.

Considerations
An individual is usually better off with an OEM license; corporate applications
most often use the easier and more-efficient paper license. If you are an
individual user who wants to install software across multiple computers, many
software vendors will issue a paper license that is good for at least five
different machines. This is a good way to save money on your total software
purchase, as the software vendor will typically offer a discount for licensing
multiple computers.

Software as a service (SaaS) is a software distribution model in which a

cloud provider hosts applications and makes them available to end users
over the internet. In this model, an independent software vendor (ISV) may
contract a third-party cloud provider to host the application. Or, with larger
companies, such as Microsoft, the cloud provider might also be the
software vendor.

SaaS is one of three main categories of cloud computing, alongside

infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS). A range
of IT professionals, business users and personal users use SaaS
applications. Products range from personal entertainment, such as Netflix,
to advanced IT tools. Unlike IaaS and PaaS, SaaS products are frequently
marketed to both B2B and B2C users.

According to a recent McKinsey & Company report, technology industry

analysts predict further growth in the software as a service market, and
expect to see the market for SaaS products near $200 billion by 2024.

How does software as a service work?

SaaS works through the cloud delivery model. A software provider will either host
the application and related data using its own servers, databases, networking and
computing resources, or it may be an ISV that contracts a cloud provider to host
the application in the provider's data center. The application will be accessible to
any device with a network connection. SaaS applications are typically accessed via
web browsers.

Rack Server Vs Blade Server

posted this at Jan 23, 2018

Do you know the difference between blade and rack servers?

Actually, both of them are the network servers. The biggest difference is the installed way. A Rack Server is a
standalone device installed in the cabinet, while several blade servers need to work with each other in one
chassis.

In this article, we will introduce concepts of these two servers and difference between them.

What is a Rack Server?

The rack server looks like the switch. It includes 1U rack, 2U rack, 4U rack, etc. Usually, the 1U of rack-mounted
servers provide the most space-saving, but poor performance and scalability, suitable for some relatively fixed
field of business. The 4U servers provide higher performance, scalability, and generally support more than 4
high-performance processors and a large number of standard hot-swappable components. Its management is
also very convenient. Those manufacturers usually provide the appropriate management and monitoring tools,
which are suitable for the large traffic applications. However, larger servers, the space utilization is lower.
The rack server is installed inside a standard 19-inch rack. Most of this structure is a multifunctional server.

What is a Blade Server?

The blade server is the server unit that can be plugged into the standard rack chassis. Each server unit is a
system mainboard, like an independent server. In this mode, each mainboard runs its own system and serves
different groups of users specified and is not associated with each other, so the performance of a single-chip
motherboard is lower, compared to those rack-mounted servers.
However, administrators can use system software to aggregate these mainboards into a single server cluster. In
cluster mode, all mainboards can be connected to provide a high-speed network environment while sharing
resources and serving the same user base. As each "blade" is hot-swappable, the system can easily be replaced
and the maintenance time is minimized.

Difference between Blade and Rack Server

Let us compare blade server and rack server advantages.

1. Are they saving space?

The blade Server saves more space than the rack server.

For example, when dealing with 1024 nodes in high-density computing server environment, we need to deploy 24
racks to install those 1U rack servers. It doesn’t include the Ethernet switching hub.

However, if we use the blade server chassis which is plugged 8 blades, we only need to deploy 9 racks. In the
meantime, it includes the Ethernet switching hub.

2. Are they easy to deploy cables or manage?

These Blade servers in the room have unified wiring network cabling and power lines. Each blade servers do not
require engineers cabling.

The rack server, respectively, each server need network cabling and power cord wiring. If a 42U cabinet when
installing multiple 1U servers, cables behind the cabinets are very much. It will seem very messy.

For the TCO needs, the blade servers are easier to manage, providing more processing power in smaller spaces,
and less cost

3. What is their flexibility?

Most of the blade servers are less flexible than those rack servers.
For example, in high-performance database applications, the external RAID card of blade severs can’t be
equipped with a disk array. In addition, if the user needs large-capacity memory database server, but do not want
to build the cluster mode, the blade servers will also be powerless.

It’s because a rack server with 16 memory slots is readily available on the market. Most blade servers only
support 4-8 memory slots. The blade server flexibility is relatively weak, even if there is a suitable product, the
price is extremely high.

4. How about the cost of them?

People think that the full cost of the blade server, compared to the same vendor's most expensive rack server,
the cost is still a lot of savings.

However, in fact, if the user is doing "gradually increase the blade in the chassis", you will find that the rack
server is more cost-effective, because most blades and related products are more expensive than their
corresponding rack products. A typical blade chassis costs between $ 4,000 and $ 8,000 and a blade is more
expensive than a 1U rack.

5. Can their functions be extended?

The benefits of 1U rack sever are it uses standard server design technology, standard ports, in order to work
alone. It can’t be upgrade more functions but it can extend its functions through connecting Expansion cabinet.

When we increase the new blade server unit, we just plug the new one into the chassis. It’s over. Blade servers
can plug into the expanded infrastructure. In addition, option modules inside the chassis allow us to add the
ability to share functions once connected externally. Modular design of blade server technology has rapid
expansion.

6. Are they easy to maintain?

When using rack servers, there are many messy cables, causing hidden problems but there is not any cable
problem with the blade servers.

As the blade server units are hot-swappable, they are easy to troubleshooting. The rack servers are standalone
devices so that it’s more difficult to troubleshooting.

Both of blade servers and rack servers can provide the useful functions for different needs.

The Rack server meets the needs of user applications, while the blade server integration is too dense, with
standard, cooling has not been completely resolved. Furthermore, the blade server works with a large number of
machines together to form a cluster for the user.

In short, the blade servers still can’t replace the rack servers.

IT administrators must choose between two primary server hardware

platforms when deploying virtualization: blade server vs. rack. Rack servers
are wide and flat, which enables stacking and bolting into larger frames.
Rack servers require physical labor from IT staff, such as mounting to the
rack and connecting cables.

Some admins prefer rack servers, which are generic and have a relatively
low cost of entry. Others prefer blade servers, which offer a centralized
management console and infrastructure efficiencies. Blade servers drive
the data center trend toward single-vendor and away from multivendor,
heterogeneous environments. This simplicity enables blade server systems
to offer a single management plane for configuration and management.

The efficiencies of blade servers vs. rack servers require careful

comparison because blade server systems run the risk of vendor lock-in.

Blade infrastructure offers better consolidation of power and cooling

systems inside the blade enclosure. Cable management favors blade
servers in the blade server vs. rack debate because rack-mount servers
are also more likely to suffer from cabling management problems, whereas
blade servers combine many of the cable requirements behind the switches
on the blade's enclosure.

The density of the configuration possibilities, as well as the simple

management practicalities, have put blade servers on a path of steady
growth. Despite this growth, competition from hyper-converged
vendors threatens to make the blade server vs. rack debate moot.