Develop fun and exciting games and create amazing animations for your existing apps with SpriteKit, Apple's 2D game development frameworkAbout This BookLearn the key concepts of game development in iOSTake advantage of SpriteKit to create your own games and improve your appsFollow the step-by-step chapters to create a complete product ready to submit to the App StoreWho This Book Is ForGetting Started with SpriteKit is for beginner-level iOS developers who want to add an extra edge to their apps and create amazing games using SpriteKit. It doesn’t matter whether you have experience in iOS development or not as this book will show you the swift tricks you can use to create games.What You Will LearnCreate and configure a SpriteKit project from scratchLoad and manage the basic elements of games such as sprites, labels, and geometrical primitivesHandle touch events, detect collisions, and play sound audio filesCreate complex elements, animate sprites, and run the parallax effectComplete your games with key components such as a main menu, transitions between scenes, a tutorial, and the ability to load and save dataIncrease the efficiency of your device using the accelerometer or by adding shaders, lights, and shadowsGain complementary techniques such as creating or finding audio resources, applying SpriteKit to apps, or using third-party toolsIn DetailSpriteKit is Apple’s game engine to develop native iOS games. Strongly boosted by the Apple Inc., Cupertino, it has increased in popularity since its first release. This book shows you the solutions provided by SpriteKit to help you create any 2D game you can imagine and apply them to create animations that will highlight your existing apps.This book will give you the knowledge you need to apply SpriteKit to your existing apps or create your own games from scratch.Throughout the book, you will develop a complete game. The beautiful designs implemented in the game in this book will easily lead you to learn the basis of 2D game development, including creating and moving sprites, and adding them to a game scene. You will also discover how to apply advanced techniques such as collision detection, action execution, playing music, or running animations to give a more professional aspect to the game. You will finish your first game by learning how to add a main menu and a tutorial, as well as saving and loading data from and to the player’s device.Finally, you will find out how to apply some mobile games techniques such as accelerometer use or touch detection.Style and approachWritten in an informal way with plenty of illustrative screenshots, this easy-to-follow and practical guide will help you get the most from SpriteKit. The main part of the book provides step-by-step instructions to develop of a complete product, while the last chapters give you some complementary techniques than can be used in mobile 2D game development.

Get to know techniques and approaches to procedurally generate game content in C++ using Simple and Fast Multimedia LibraryAbout This BookThis book contains a bespoke Simple and Fast Multimedia Library (SFML) game engine with complete online documentationThrough this book, you’ll create games that are non-predictable and dynamic and have a high replayability factorGet a breakdown of the key techniques and approaches applied to a real game.Who This Book Is ForIf you are a game developer who is familiar with C++ and is looking to create bigger and more dynamic games, then this book is for you. The book assumes some prior experience with C++, but any intermediate concepts are clarified in detail. No prior experience with SFML is required.What You Will LearnDiscover the systems and ideology that lie at the heart of procedural systemsUse Random number generation (RNG) with C++ data types to create random but controlled resultsBuild levels procedurally with randomly located items and eventsCreate dynamic game objects at runtimeConstruct games using a component-based approachAssemble non-predictable game events and scenariosOperate procedural generation to create dynamic content fast and easilyGenerate game environments for endless replayabilityIn DetailProcedural generation is a growing trend in game development. It allows developers to create games that are bigger and more dynamic, giving the games a higher level of replayability. Procedural generation isn’t just one technique, it’s a collection of techniques and approaches that are used together to create dynamic systems and objects. C++ is the industry-standard programming language to write computer games. It’s at the heart of most engines, and is incredibly powerful. SFML is an easy-to-use, cross-platform, and open-source multimedia library. Access to computer hardware is broken into succinct modules, making it a great choice if you want to develop cross-platform games with ease.Using C++ and SFML technologies, this book will guide you through the techniques and approaches used to generate content procedurally within game development.Throughout the course of this book, we’ll look at examples of these technologies, starting with setting up a roguelike project using the C++ template. We’ll then move on to using RNG with C++ data types and randomly scattering objects within a game map. We will create simple console examples to implement in a real game by creating unique and randomised game items, dynamic sprites, and effects, and procedurally generating game events. Then we will walk you through generating random game maps. At the end, we will have a retrospective look at the project.By the end of the book, not only will you have a solid understanding of procedural generation, but you’ll also have a working roguelike game that you will have extended using the examples provided.Style and approachThis is an easy-to-follow guide where each topic is explained clearly and thoroughly through the use of a bespoke example, then implemented in a real game project.

Design and develop state-of-the-art applications using Force.com's powerful development platformAbout This BookFlaunt your skillsets by developing complex applications that include demanding concepts such as triggers, Visualforce controllers, batch jobs, and Lightning componentsEarn the gratitude of your colleagues by structuring a project so that multiple developers can work independently of each otherKevin Poorman, the author of the book and a Force.com MVP, shares his years of Force.com knowledge and experience with you through the medium of telling examplesWho This Book Is ForIf you're a Force.com developer with a fundamental understanding of Apex and JavaScript but now want to enhance your skills with tips, tricks, and guidance on the best architectural and engineering practices, then this book is for you.What You Will LearnCreating triggers, and the best practices for writing themDeveloping a number of Visualforce controllers and extensionsIntegrating third-party web APIs into your Apex codeWriting unit tests that cover testing bulk safety, user and profile settings, and negative testsCreating a Lightning component for use in Salesforce1Getting acquainted with various methods for deploying metadata between orgsUsing the Rest sObject API for access to Salesforce objects and data using the REST methodologyLearning about overarching architectural considerations such as naming conventions, testing practices, and data modeling practicesIn DetailForce.com is an extremely powerful, scalable, and secure cloud platform, delivering a complete technology stack, ranging from databases and security to workflow and the user interface. With salesforce.com's Force.com cloud platform, you can build any business application and run it on your servers.The book will help you enhance your skillset and develop complex applications using Force.com. It gets you started with a quick refresher of Force.com's development tools and methodologies, and moves to an in-depth discussion of triggers, bulkification, DML order of operations, and trigger frameworks. Next, you will learn to use batchable and schedulable interfaces to process massive amounts of information asynchronously. You will also be introduced to Salesforce Lightning and cover components—including backend (apex) controllers, frontend (JavaScript) controllers, events, and attributes—in detail.Moving on, the book will focus on testing various apex components: what to test, when to write the tests, and—most importantly—how to test. Next, you will develop a changeset and use it to migrate your code from one org to another, and learn what other tools are out there for deploying metadata. You will also use command-line tools to authenticate and access the Force.com Rest sObject API and the Bulk sObject API; additionally, you will write a custom Rest endpoint, and learn how to structure a project so that multiple developers can work independently of each other without causing metadata conflicts.Finally, you will take an in-depth look at the overarching best practices for architecture (structure) and engineering (code) applications on the Force.com platform.Style and approach A step-by-step tutorial, with plenty of tips and tricks that will help you develop complex Force.com applications.

Create powerful applications with the most robust open source web mapping library using this advanced guideAbout This BookDevelop responsive and platform-independent web mapping applications with OpenLayers 3Learn the key points of creating great applications with native JavaScript through the step-by-step examplesMaster the use of the library, from compiling custom builds to developing a complete WebGIS applicationWho This Book Is ForThis book is intended for front-end developers with basic understanding of JavaScript and GIS concepts, and preferably for those who are familiar with the fundamentals of OpenLayers 3. You might have never used OpenLayers 3 as a seasoned JavaScript developer. If this is the case and you are eager to learn web mapping, this book will definitely set you on the right track.What You Will LearnUse the advanced functionality of the OpenLayers 3 library effectivelyImplement the library in your application, shaping it to your needsManage layers and the layer stack dynamicallyCreate not only stunning but also accurate thematic mapsExtend OpenLayers 3 with your own custom classesDevelop mobile-friendly web mapping applicationsMake stunning effects with canvas manipulation, or visualize point clouds with WebGLIntegrate third-party applications, and create custom builds that completely satisfy your needsIn DetailOpenLayers 3 allows you to create stunning web mapping and WebGIS applications. It uses modern, cutting edge browser technologies. It is written with Closure Library, enabling you to build browser-independent applications without painful debugging ceremonies, which even have some limited fallback options for older browsers.With this guide, you will be introduced to the world of advanced web mapping and WebGIS.First, you will be introduced to the advanced features and functionalities available in OpenLayers 3. Next, you will be taken through the key points of creating custom applications with OpenLayers 3. You will then learn how to create the web mapping application of yours (or your company's) dream with this open source, expense-free, yet very powerful library. We’ll also show you how to make amazing looking thematic maps and create great effects with canvas manipulation.By the end of this book, you will have a strong command of web mapping and will be well on your way to creating amazing applications using OpenLayers 3.Style and approachThis is an advanced guide packed with comprehensive examples, and it concentrates on the advanced parts of OpenLayers 3 and JavaScript. It intentionally skips the basic and well-known methodologies, but discusses the hard-to-understand ones in great detail.

Explore the possibility of building truly native, cross-platform mobile applications using your JavaScript skill—NativeScript!About This BookSave your marketing time by building for iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile platforms simultaneouslyBe an ace at utilizing the features of NativeScript and its ability to communicate with each of the host device libraries nativelyProficiently, build your fully cross-platform communication application exhibiting the fundamentals of NativeScriptWho This Book Is ForIf you are a JavaScript developer and want to build cross-platform applications, then this book is just the right one for you!What You Will LearnInstall and compile your application in NativeScriptGet important know-how on the NativeScript project structureDevelop and style your screens for multiple platformsCreate a full-featured cross-platform communication applicationImport and use several third-party componentsSimplify and deal with device resolution and cross-platform issuesTest and deploy your applicationIn DetailNativeScript allows you to build a fast cross-platform application that has a native UI. NativeScript is a true cross-platform framework that generates native speed applications using the native components of the host platform, all using JavaScript. Although NativeScript allows you to build your application in JavaScript, you have full access to the host OS from your code, allowing you to easily tweak or use new platform features instantly at native code speeds.Whether you have already developed multiple applications or zero applications, this book will help you to develop your next application in a cross-platform framework quickly, saving you a massive amount of time and money.This book concisely shows you NativeScript’s built-in framework that allows you to rapidly develop a fully-working compiled cross-platform application in just a few chapters. It starts by laying the foundation of NativeScript and working through the fundamentals to create a basic shell of the application. Moving on, you’ll see how to build a full-fledged application step by step. We’ll show you how to use plugins, and how to communicate with the native OS libraries easily so that you can customize your application as if your app was created in Java or Objective C. We then deal with the issues that arise from being cross platform and compensate for the different screen sizes, screen resolutions, and device abilities. Finally, we progress to testing and deploying your app.Style and approach A stepwise guide for building cross-platform mobile applications with the help of easy-to-understand examples.

Get to grips with object-oriented programming in Swift to efficiently build powerful real-world applicationsAbout This BookLeverage the most efficient object-oriented design patterns in your Swift applicationsWrite robust, safer, and better code using the blueprints that generate objectsBuild a platform with object-oriented code by using real-world elements and represent them in your appWho This Book Is ForIf you are an iOS developer who has a basic idea of object-oriented programming and want to incorporate its concepts with Swift to optimize your application's code and create reusable and easily to understand building blocks, then this book is for you. This is a very useful resource for developers who want to shift from Objective C, C#, Java, Python, JavaScript, or other object-oriented languages to SwiftWhat You Will LearnBuild solid, stable, and reliable applications using SwiftWork with encapsulation, abstraction, and polymorphism using Swift 2.0Customize constructors and destructors based on your needsDevelop Swift 2.0 with classes, instances, properties, and methodsTake advantage of generic code to maximize code reuse and generalize behaviorsUse state of inheritance, specialization, and the possibility to overload membersWrite high quality object-oriented code to build apps for iOS or Mac OS XIn DetailObject-Oriented Programming (OOP) is a programming paradigm based on the concept of objects; these are data structures that contain data in the form of fields, often known as attributes and code. Objects are everywhere, and so it is very important to recognize elements, known as objects, from real-world situations and know how they can easily be translated into object-oriented code.Object-Oriented Programming with Swift is an easy-to-follow guide packed full of hands-on examples of solutions to common problems encountered with object-oriented code in Swift. It starts by helping you to recognize objects using real-life scenarios and demonstrates how working with them makes it simpler to write code that is easy to understand and reuse.You will learn to protect and hide data with the data encapsulation features of Swift. Then, you will explore how to maximize code reuse by writing code capable of working with objects of different types. After that, you'll discover the power of parametric polymorphism and will combine generic code with inheritance and multiple inheritance. Later, you move on to refactoring your existing code and organizing your source for easy maintenance and extensions.By the end of the book, you will be able to create better, stronger, and more reusable code, which will help you build better applications.Style and approachThis simple guide is packed with practical examples of solutions to common problems. Each chapter includes exercises and the possibility for you to test your progress by answering questions.

Integrate the power of R with the simplicity of Shiny to deliver cutting-edge analytics over the WebAbout This BookUse Shiny's built-in functions to produce engaging user interfaces, and integrate them into your own web pagesImplement powerful user-contributed packages to access graphics from the web, make your own dashboards, use interactive maps, and moreExtend Shiny using JavaScript and jQuery with minimal coding using this handy, step-by-step guideWho This Book Is ForThis book is for anybody who wants to produce interactive data summaries over the web, whether you want to share them with a few colleagues or the whole world. No previous experience with R, Shiny, HTML, or CSS is required to begin using this book, although you should possess some previous experience with programming in a different language.What You Will LearnBuild interactive applications using Shiny's built-in widgetsUse the built-in layout functions in Shiny to produce user-friendly applicationsIntegrate Shiny applications with web pages and customize them using HTML and CSSHarness the power of JavaScript and jQuery to customize your applicationsEngage your users and build better analytics using interactive plotsDebug your applications using Shiny's built-in functionsDeliver simple and powerful analytics across your organization using Shiny dashboardsShare your applications with colleagues or over the Internet using cloud services or your own serverIn DetailR is a highly flexible and powerful tool for analyzing and visualizing data. Most of the applications built using various libraries with R are desktop-based. But what if you want to go on the webHere comes Shiny to your rescue!Shiny allows you to create interactive web applications using the excellent analytical and graphical capabilities of R. This book will guide you through basic data management and analysis with R through your first Shiny application, and then show you how to integrate Shiny applications with your own web pages. Finally, you will learn how to finely control the inputs and outputs of your application, along with using other packages to build state-of-the-art applications, including dashboards.Style and approachLearn by doing! Each chapter includes code and examples to use and adapt for your own applications. As the chapters progress, the code and examples are built upon until you have all the materials required to build a large, complex, real-world analytics application.

Harness the power of procedural content generation to design unique games with UnityAbout This BookLearn the basics of PCG developmentDevelop a 2D game from start to finishExplore all the different ways PCG can be applied in gamesWho This Book Is ForThis book is for Unity game developers, especially those who work on indie games. You should be familiar with Unity and C# *ing but you'll be able to jump in and start learning PCG straightaway.What You Will LearnUnderstand the theory of Procedural Content GenerationLearn the uses of Pseudo Random NumbersCreate reusable algorithm designs for PCGEvaluate the data structures for PCGDevelop smaller games with larger amounts of contentGenerate content instead of spending time designing every minute detailLearn when and how to add PCG to your gameLearn the fundamental techniques of PCGIn DetailProcedural Content Generation is a process by which game content is developed using computer algorithms, rather than through the manual efforts of game developers. This book teaches readers how to develop algorithms for procedural generation that they can use in their own games. These concepts are put into practice using C# and Unity is used as the game development engine.This book provides the fundamentals of learning and continued learning using PCG. You'll discover the theory of PCG and the mighty Pseudo Random Number Generator. Random numbers such as die rolls and card drafting provide the chance factor that makes games fun and supplies spontaneity. This book also takes you through the full development of a 2D game.Starting with level generation, you'll learn how PCG can make the game environment for you. You'll move into item generation and learn the different techniques to procedurally create game items. Thereafter, you'll be guided through the more abstract PCG areas such as scaling difficulty to the player and even generating music! The book helps you set up systems within your games where algorithms create computationally generated levels, art assets, quests, stories, characters, and weapons; these can substantially reduce the burden of manually creating every aspect of the game.Finally, you'll get to try out your new PCG skills on 3D terrain generation.Style and approachAn easy-to-follow, project-based guide that will let you build a complete game by the end of the book using PCG.

Design, build, and automate 10 real-world OpenStack administrative tasks with AnsibleAbout This BookAutomate real-world OpenStack cloud operator administrative tasksConstruct a collection of automation code to save time on managing your OpenStack cloudUse this step-by-step tutorial to automate such tasks with AnsibleWho This Book Is ForIf you are an OpenStack-based cloud operator and/or infrastructure administrator and are interested in automating administrative functions, then this book is exactly what you are looking for. Having a functioning OpenStack environment is helpful, but most certainly not necessary.What You Will LearnEfficiently execute OpenStack administrative tasksFamiliarize yourself with how Ansible works and assess the defined best practicesCreate Ansible playbooks and rolesAutomate tasks to customize your OpenStack cloudReview OpenStack automation considerations when automating administrative tasksExamine and automate advanced OpenStack tasks and designated use casesGet a high-level overview of OpenStack and the current production-ready projectsDeep dive into OpenStack CLI tools and find out how to use themIn DetailMost organizations are seeking methods to improve business agility because they have realized just having a cloud is not enough. Being able to improve application deployments, reduce infrastructure downtime, and eliminate daily manual tasks can only be accomplished through some sort of automation.Packed with real-world OpenStack administrative tasks, this book will walk you through working examples and explain how these tasks can be automated using one of the most popular open source automation tools—Ansible.We will start with a brief overview of OpenStack and Ansible and highlight some best practices. Each chapter will provide an introduction to handling various Cloud Operator administration tasks such as creating multiple users/tenants, setting up Multi-Tenant Isolation, customizing your clouds quotas, taking instance snapshots, evacuating compute hosts for maintenance, and running cloud health checks, and a step-by-step tutorial on how to automate these tasks with Ansible.Style and approachThis easy-to-follow reference guide is packed with examples of real-world OpenStack administration tasks; each task is explained in detail and then subsequently turned into automation code.

Leverage the power of Scala with different tools to build scalable, robust data science applicationsAbout This BookA complete guide for scalable data science solutions, from data ingestion to data visualizationDeploy horizontally scalable data processing pipelines and take advantage of web frameworks to build engaging visualizationsBuild functional, type-safe routines to interact with relational and NoSQL databases with the help of tutorials and examples providedWho This Book Is ForIf you are a Scala developer or data scientist, or if you want to enter the field of data science, then this book will give you all the tools you need to implement data science solutions.What You Will LearnTransform and filter tabular data to extract features for machine learningImplement your own algorithms or take advantage of MLLib’s extensive suite of models to build distributed machine learning pipelinesRead, transform, and write data to both SQL and NoSQL databases in a functional mannerWrite robust routines to query web APIsRead data from web APIs such as the GitHub or Twitter APIUse Scala to interact with MongoDB, which offers high performance and helps to store large data sets with uncertain query requirementsCreate Scala web applications that couple with JavaScript libraries such as D3 to create compelling interactive visualizationsDeploy scalable parallel applications using Apache Spark, loading data from HDFS or HiveIn DetailScala is a multi-paradigm programming language (it supports both object-oriented and functional programming) and *ing language used to build applications for the JVM. Languages such as R, Python, Java, and so on are mostly used for data science. It is particularly good at analyzing large sets of data without any significant impact on performance and thus Scala is being adopted by many developers and data scientists. Data scientists might be aware that building applications that are truly scalable is hard. Scala, with its powerful functional libraries for interacting with databases and building scalable frameworks will give you the tools to construct robust data pipelines.This book will introduce you to the libraries for ingesting, storing, manipulating, processing, and visualizing data in Scala.Packed with real-world examples and interesting data sets, this book will teach you to ingest data from flat files and web APIs and store it in a SQL or NoSQL database. It will show you how to design scalable architectures to process and modelling your data, starting from simple concurrency constructs such as parallel collections and futures, through to actor systems and Apache Spark. As well as Scala’s emphasis on functional structures and immutability, you will learn how to use the right parallel construct for the job at hand, minimizing development time without compromising scalability. Finally, you will learn how to build beautiful interactive visualizations using web frameworks.This book gives tutorials on some of the most common Scala libraries for data science, allowing you to quickly get up to speed with building data science and data engineering solutions.Style and approachA tutorial with complete examples, this book will give you the tools to start building useful data engineering and data science solutions straightaway

Leverage the power of D and the vibe.d framework to develop web applications that are incredibly fastAbout This BookUtilize the elegant vibe.d framework to build web applications easily and REST backends with the D programming languageLearn about all components of vibe.d to enhance your web development with DA hands-on guide to the vibe.d framework; from static web pages to template-based, interactive and localized web applications with database access and REST backendsWho This Book Is ForWhether you are new to the world of D, or already have developed applications in D, or if you want to leverage the power of D for web development, then this book is ideal for you. Basic knowledge of core web technologies like HTML 5 is helpful but not required. This book explains the difficult details to speed your web development.What You Will LearnCreate amazingly fast web applications with DUse Diet templates to easily create a web user interfaceUtilize the web framework for interactive applications with input validation and internationalizationAccess a database to provide persistent storage for your applicationExtend your application with a REST interface and access other applications via RESTUnderstand vibe.d’s fiber-based approach to asynchronous I/O and use it for integration of existing componentsCreate GUI applications with vibe.dIn DetailD is a programming language with C-like syntax and static typing. The vibe.d framework builds on powerful D concepts like template meta-programming and compile-time function execution to provide an easy-to-use environment for web applications. The combination of a feature-rich web programming framework with a language compiling to native code solves two common issues in web development today: it accelerates your development and it results in fast, native web applications. Learning the vibe.d framework before you start your application will help you to choose the right features to reach your goal.This book guides you through all aspects of web development with D and the vibe.d framework.Covering the popular operating systems today, this guide starts with the setup of your development system. From the first Hello World-style application you will move on to building static web pages with templates. The concise treatment of web forms will give you all the details about form handling and web security. Using the abstractions of the web framework you will learn how to easily validate user input. Next, you will add database access to your application, providing persistent storage for your data. Building on this foundation, you will expose your component and integrate other components via REST. Learning about the internals of vibe.d you will be able to use low-level techniques such as raw TCP access. The vibe.d concepts can also be used for GUI clients, which is the next topic that you will learn. vibe.d is supported by an active community, which adds new functionality. This comprehensive guide concludes with an overview of the most useful vibe.d extensions and where to find them. It also shows you how to integrate these extensions in your application.The concepts are always illustrated with source code, giving you an insight into how to apply them in your application.Style and approachA tutorial-style guide to develop web applications with D and the vibe.d framework. Each topic is explained in detail and illustrated with source code, providing you with hands-on assistance for your application.

Learn Database design, development,and administration using the feature-rich SQL Developer 4.1 interfaceAbout This BookExplore all the SQL Developer 4.1 features useful for Oracle database developers, architects, and administratorsUnderstand how this free tool from Oracle has evolved over the years and has become a complete tool that makes life easy for Oracle and third-party database usersThe author, Ajith Narayanan, has a total of 10+ years of work experience as an Oracle [APPS] DBAWho This Book Is ForThis book is intended for Oracle developers who are responsible for database management. You are expected to have programming knowledge of SQL and PL/SQL, and must be familiar with basic Oracle database concepts.What You Will LearnInstall and navigate through all the advanced features of SQL Developer that were introduced in version 4.1Browse, create, edit, and delete (drop) database objectsUse the SQL worksheet to run SQL statements and *s, edit and debug PL/SQL code, manipulate and export (unload) dataCarry out all DBA-related activities such as exporting/importing, tuning, and analyzing database performance issuesQuickly analyze, create, and edit the data model using data modelerExtend the SQL developer capabilities by exploring the APEX related pages, enabling and working with RESTful servicesUse the available reports and create new custom reports with custom *sGrasp how to connect to third-party databases and work smoothly with themIn DetailAt times, DBAs support 100s of databases at work. In such scenarios, using a command-line tool like putty adds to the difficulty, while SQL Developer makes the life of a developer, DBA, or DB architect easier by providing a graphical user interface equipped with features that can bolster and enhance the user experience and boost efficiency. Features such as DBA panel, Reports, Data Modeler, and Data Miner are just a few examples of its rich features, and its support for APEX, REST Services, timesten, and third-party database drivers demonstrate its extensibility.You may be a newbie to databases or a seasoned database expert, either way this book will help you understand the database structure and the different types of objects that organize enterprise data in an efficient manner. This book introduces the features of the SQL Developer 4.1 tool in an incremental fashion, starting with installing them, making the database connections, and using the different panels. By sequentially walking through the steps in each chapter, you will quickly master SQL Developer 4.1.Style and approachThis book follows a step-by-step approach and is in a conversational and easy-to-follow style. Screenshots , and detailed explanations of the basic and advanced features of SQL Developer 4.1 that will make your work and life easy.

Master SDDC Operations with proven best practices About This Book Understand the drawbacks of the traditional paradigm and management that make operations difficult in SDDC Master performance and capacity management in Software-Defined Data Center Operationalize performance and capacity monitoring with proven dashboards Who This Book Is For This book is primarily for any system administrator or cloud infrastructure specialist who is interested in performance management and capacity management using VMware technologies. This book will also help IT professionals whose area of responsibility is not VMware, but who work with the VMware team. You can be Windows, Linux, Storage, or Network team; or application architects. Note that prior exposure to the VMware platform of data-center and cloud-based solutions is expected. What You Will Learn Simplify the task of performance and capacity management Master the counters in vCenter and vRealize Operations and understand their dependency on one another Educate your peers and management on SDDC Operations Complete your SDDC monitoring to include non-VMware components Perform SDDC performance troubleshooting Explore real-life examples of how super metric and advanced dashboards Introduce and implement a Performance SLA Accomplish your Capacity Management by taking into service tiering and performance SLA In Detail Performance management and capacity management are the two top-most issues faced by enterprise IT when doing virtualization. Until the first edition of the book, there was no in-depth coverage on the topic to tackle the issues systematically. The second edition expands the first edition, with added information and reorganizing the book into three logical parts. The first part provides the technical foundation of SDDC Management. It explains the difference between a software-defined data center and a classic physical data center, and how it impacts both architecture and operations. From this strategic view, it zooms into the most common challenges—performance management and capacity management. It introduces a new concept called Performance SLA and also a new way of doing capacity management. The next part provides the actual solution that you can implement in your environment. It puts the theories together and provides real-life examples created together with customers. It provides the reasons behind each dashboard, so that you get the understanding on why it is required and what problem it solves. The last part acts as a reference section. It provides a complete reference to vSphere and vRealize Operations counters, explaining their dependencies and providing practical guidance on the values you should expect in a healthy environment. Style and approach This book covers the complex topic of managing performance and capacity in an easy-to-follow style. It relates real-world scenarios to topics in order to help you implement the book’s teachings on the go.

Harness the power of DevOps to boost your skill set and make your IT organization perform betterAbout This BookGet to know the background of DevOps so you understand the collaboration between different aspects of an IT organization and a software developerImprove your organization's performance to ensure smooth production of software and servicesDeploy top-quality software and ensure software maintenance and release management with this practical guideWho This Book Is ForThis book is aimed at developers and system administrators who wish to take on larger responsibilities and understand how the infrastructure that builds today's enterprises works. This book is also great for operations personnel who would like to better support developers. You do not need to have any previous knowledge of DevOps.What You Will LearnAppreciate the merits of DevOps and continuous delivery and see how DevOps supports the agile processUnderstand how all the systems fit together to form a larger wholeSet up and familiarize yourself with all the tools you need to be efficient with DevOpsDesign an application that is suitable for continuous deployment systems with Devops in mindStore and manage your code effectively using different options such as Git, Gerrit, and GitlabConfigure a job to build a sample CRUD applicationTest the code using automated regression testing with Jenkins SeleniumDeploy your code using tools such as Puppet, Ansible, Palletops, Chef, and VagrantMonitor the health of your code with Nagios, Munin, and GraphiteExplore the workings of Trac—a tool used for issue trackingIn DetailDevOps is a practical field that focuses on delivering business value as efficiently as possible. DevOps encompasses all the flows from code through testing environments to production environments. It stresses the cooperation between different roles, and how they can work together more closely, as the roots of the word imply—Development and Operations.After a quick refresher to DevOps and continuous delivery, we quickly move on to looking at how DevOps affects architecture. You'll create a sample enterprise Java application that you’ll continue to work with through the remaining chapters. Following this, we explore various code storage and build server options. You will then learn how to perform code testing with a few tools and deploy your test successfully. Next, you will learn how to monitor code for any anomalies and make sure it’s running properly. Finally, you will discover how to handle logs and keep track of the issues that affect processesStyle and approachThis book is primarily a technical guide to DevOps with practical examples suitable for people who like to learn by implementing concrete working code. It starts out with background information and gradually delves deeper into technical subjects.

Gain insights into Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency and a powerful technology, to optimize your Bitcoin mining techniquesAbout This BookLearn how to use the advanced features of Bitcoin walletsSet up your Bitcoin mining operations to mine with efficiencyExplore what the future holds for mining and blockchains in this pragmatic guideWho This Book Is ForIf you have never mined before, this book will ensure that you know what mining is all about. If you are familiar with Bitcoin mining, then it will help you to optimize your mining operations at a deeper level. A basic understanding of computers and operating systems is assumed, and some familiarity with cryptocurrency basics would be an added advantage.What You Will LearnGet introduced to Bitcoin mining from the ground upFind out about mining software and the different types of mining hardwareMaster setup techniques to enable efficient miningExamine the pros and cons of the different types of mining hardwareDeduce the differences between solo and pool miningTake a peek into professional mining farmsExplore the future of mining and blockchain-based applicationsIn DetailBlockchain is being billed as the technology of the future. Bitcoin is the first application of that technology. Mining is what makes it all possible. Exploring mining from a practical perspective will help you make informed decisions about your mining setup. Understanding what the future may hold for blockchains, and therefore for mining, will help you position yourself to take advantage of the impending changes.This practical guide starts with an introduction to Bitcoin wallets, as well as mining hardware and software. You will move on to learn about different mining techniques using the CPU, GPU, FPGA, and ultimately the ASIC as an example. After this, you will gain an insight into solo mining and pool mining, and see the differences between the two. The book will then walk you through large-scale mining and the challenges faced during such operations. Finally, you will take a look into the future to see a world where blockchain-based applications are commonplace and mining is ubiquitous.Style and approachThis is a practical guide that includes detailed step-by-step instructions and examples on each essential concept of Bitcoin mining.

Over 80 hands-on recipes to improve your skills in project management, team management, process improvement, and Redmine administrationAbout This BookEfficiently install and customize Redmine for your own infrastructure, whether that be Microsoft or open sourceManage multiple projects with multiple teams across the globe in a standardized and effective wayCustomize Redmine to fit your organisation's specific and unique needsWho This Book Is ForThis book is for those who working in management or administrator positions who are already using Redmine or are willing to start using it for project management, tracking, collaboration, or process management. Additionally, individual developers or teams can benefit from recipes related to code repositories, bug tracking, and software project management.What You Will LearnMake Redmine run on Microsoft SQL Server with IISEnjoy the benefits of updating the code on a real-time basis and maintaining consistencyManage multiple projects and teams simultaneouslyLeverage Redmine features to enhance team's performanceUse Redmine for SCRUM and Agile methodologiesDeploy Redmine for Service DeskCustomize the user experience by manually tracking the ongoing projectsExtend Redmine through various pluginsIn DetailIn a variety of online project management tools, Redmine markets itself as offering flexibility. Choosing the right management tool can mean the difference between the success and failure of a project. Flexible project management tools bend themselves to fit your needs, whether that’s communication regarding a simple project, or collaboration, or more complex project methodology such as SCRUM, or an issue-code relationship, or the need of different methodology for your project.Whether you are project manager or system administrator, this book provides valuable recipes to get the best possible performance out of your team, organization, infrastructure, and Redmine itself. Through a series of carefully crafted recipes covering the nitty-gritty of Redmine, you’ll be guided through the installation of Redmine, as well as how to fine-tune and customize your Redmine installation. Finally, we walk you through integrating Redmine with other softwares and databases like Tortoise SVN and Visual Studio and troubleshooting Redmine.Style and approachThis book follows a step-by-step recipe-based approach. Detailed prerequisites make each recipe easy to follow and apply in practice in any kind of live environment.

Monitor and automate complex JavaScript tasks and processes by obtaining a practical understanding of Grunt About This Book Gain a solid knowledge of Grunt to achieve better process management by improving consistency, productivity, reliability, and quality of code Install, configure, and use plugins into your project with this hands-on guide This step-by-step tutorial will walk you through practical examples of workflow automation Who This Book Is For If you are a JavaScript developer and want to learn project monitoring and automation using Grunt, then this book is for you. Basic knowledge of Node.js and Angular.js is assumed. However, no previous experience using Grunt.js is required. What You Will Learn Install and configure Grunt and its dependencies such as Node.js and Node Package Manager (NPM) Create a sample application using Angular.JS Configure plugins to perform various tasks that will benefit your project Explore the task-specific methods available through the Grunt API such as configuration, externals, events, and logging Set up tasks to automate the build process of the simple contact application Build, test, and refine a sample project Get general tips, tricks, and troubleshooting strategies to identify and solve common issues in Grunt Advance your knowledge of Grunt with concepts such as configuration variables and test automation In Detail With the increasing focus on task automation, the Grunt task runner is a vast platform that allows you to incorporate automation into your workflows. At the outset, you will learn how to use Node.js and NMP through an example. You will then find out how to build a sample app and the development environment for it. You will further delve into the implementation of Grunt plugins and the configuration of Grunt tasks. Furthermore, you will explore the various methods and packages for workflow automation. The final chapter will cover some advanced concepts, such as configuration variables and how to create a Grunt plugin. By the end of the book, you will have gained the fundamentals of Grunt and progressed through advanced concepts, including building a Grunt plugin. Style and approach This book is an easy-to-follow, step-by-step tutorial that provides explanations and examples of deploying Grunt from scratch.

Over 90 hands-on recipes to help you learn and master the intricacies of Apache Hadoop 2.X, YARN, Hive, Pig, Oozie, Flume, Sqoop, Apache Spark, and Mahout About This Book Implement outstanding Machine Learning use cases on your own analytics models and processes. Solutions to common problems when working with the Hadoop ecosystem. Step-by-step implementation of end-to-end big data use cases. Who This Book Is For Readers who have a basic knowledge of big data systems and want to advance their knowledge with hands-on recipes. What You Will Learn Installing and maintaining Hadoop 2.X cluster and its ecosystem. Write advanced Map Reduce programs and understand design patterns. Advanced Data Analysis using the Hive, Pig, and Map Reduce programs. Import and export data from various sources using Sqoop and Flume. Data storage in various file formats such as Text, Sequential, Parquet, ORC, and RC Files. Machine learning principles with libraries such as Mahout Batch and Stream data processing using Apache Spark In Detail Big data is the current requirement. Most organizations produce huge amount of data every day. With the arrival of Hadoop-like tools, it has become easier for everyone to solve big data problems with great efficiency and at minimal cost. Grasping Machine Learning techniques will help you greatly in building predictive models and using this data to make the right decisions for your organization. Hadoop Real World Solutions Cookbook gives readers insights into learning and mastering big data via recipes. The book not only clarifies most big data tools in the market but also provides best practices for using them. The book provides recipes that are based on the latest versions of Apache Hadoop 2.X, YARN, Hive, Pig, Sqoop, Flume, Apache Spark, Mahout and many more such ecosystem tools. This real-world-solution cookbook is packed with handy recipes you can apply to your own everyday issues. Each chapter provides in-depth recipes that can be referenced easily. This book provides detailed practices on the latest technologies such as YARN and Apache Spark. Readers will be able to consider themselves as big data experts on completion of this book. This guide is an invaluable tutorial if you are planning to implement a big data warehouse for your business. Style and approach An easy-to-follow guide that walks you through world of big data. Each tool in the Hadoop ecosystem is explained in detail and the recipes are placed in such a manner that readers can implement them sequentially. Plenty of reference links are provided for advanced reading.

Create four mobile apps and explore the world through photography and computer vision About This Book Efficiently harness iOS and OpenCV to capture and process high-quality images at high speed Develop photographic apps and augmented reality apps quickly and easily Detect, recognize, and morph faces and objects Who This Book Is For If you want to do computational photography and computer vision on Apple’s mobile devices, then this book is for you. No previous experience with app development or OpenCV is required. However, basic knowledge of C++ or Objective-C is recommended. What You Will Learn Use Xcode and Interface Builder to develop iOS apps Obtain OpenCV's standard modules and build extra modules from source Control all the parameters of the iOS device's camera Capture, save, and share photos and videos Analyze colors, shapes, and textures in ordinary and specialized photographs Blend and compare images to create special photographic effects and augmented reality tools Detect faces and morph facial features Classify coins and other objects In Detail iOS Application Development with OpenCV 3 enables you to turn your smartphone camera into an advanced tool for photography and computer vision. Using the highly optimized OpenCV library, you will process high-resolution images in real time. You will locate and classify objects, and create models of their geometry. As you develop photo and augmented reality apps, you will gain a general understanding of iOS frameworks and developer tools, plus a deeper understanding of the camera and image APIs. After completing the book's four projects, you will be a well-rounded iOS developer with valuable experience in OpenCV. Style and approach The book is practical, creative, and precise. It shows you the steps to create and customize five projects that solve important problems for beginners in mobile app development and computer vision. Complete source code and numerous visual aids are included in each chapter. Experimentation is an important part of the book. You will use computer vision to explore the real world, and then you will refine the projects based on your findings.

Learn Chef Provisioning like a boss and finally own your infrastructure About This Book This is the first Chef book focused on provisioning infrastructure as its sole task. The book offers a clear solution to a specific pain point: learn to make your system work faster. Learning better approaches to load balancing and parallelization with this book will save you time By mastering the techniques in this book, you will know how to run an entire fleet of machines without breaking a sweat This book is more helpful than the documentation ( https://docs.chef.io/provisioning.html), with a stronger guiding voice and clearer explanations and use cases Who This Book Is For This book is for Software Engineers, System Administrators, or DevOps Engineers who need to quickly deliver reliably consistent infrastructure at scale. You are expected to have intermediate experience with Chef and Ruby and will be reading this book to advance your knowledge and take your skillset to the next level. What You Will Learn Use best practices to describe your entire infrastructure as code Automate and document every aspect of your network, from the hardware of individual nodes to software, middleware, and all containers and clouds Create a perfect model system Make the best possible use of your resources and avoid redundancy Deliver on the promise of Infrastructure as Code Scale with ease by properly provisioning their infrastructure Use the best Test Driven Development methodologies In Detail This book will show you the best practices to describe your entire infrastructure as code. With the help of this book you can expand your knowledge of Chef because and implement robust and scalable automation solutions. You can automate and document every aspect of your network, from the hardware to software, middleware, and all your containers. You will become familiar with the Chef’s Chef Provisioning tool. You will be able to make a perfect model system where everything is represented as code beneath your fingertips. Make the best possible use of your resources, and deliver infrastructure as code, making it as versionable, testable and repeatable as application software Style and approach By dedicating a whole book solely to the question of provisioning, this book will teach administrators to use Chef as a birds-eye lens for their entire system. It will moves you away from the specifics of each machine and its automations and instead will teach you them how to approach the entire cluster as something different than the sum of its parts. By focusing on infrastructure as code as its own project, the book offers elegant, time-saving solutions for a perfectly described and automated network.

Explore the power of PostCSS to write highly performing, modular, and modern CSS code for your web pages About This Book Incorporate cutting-edge styles in your web pages with PostCSS Simplify the process of writing CSS to a great extent using PostCSS shortcuts, fallbacks, and pack plugins This in-depth, step-by-step guide will help you master PostCSS, to create amazing and responsive web designs Who This Book Is For This book is ideal for web developers and designers who are comfortable with HTML5 and CSS and now want to master PostCSS for web design. Web designers who have been using SASS or Less and now want to adopt PostCSS would also find this book useful. What You Will Learn Add mixin and variable support to PostCSS along with conditional support Explore the different ways of nesting code such as BEM and standard nesting within PostCSS Optimize media queries built with PostCSS to get the best performance Add dynamic styling elements such as images, fonts, grids, and SVG and retina support using existing preprocessors as well as PostCSS Get familiar with using plugins, and extend PostCSS with the API Build a fully working custom preprocessor and test it on different sites such as WordPress Write a custom syntax in PostCSS while still using pre-built syntaxes such as Less, SASS, or Stylus Provide support for future CSS such as CSS4 using current CSS3 classes In Detail PostCSS is a tool that has quickly emerged as the future of existing preprocessors such as SASS and Less, mainly because of its power, speed, and ease of use. This comprehensive guide offers in-depth guidance on incorporating cutting-edge styles into your web page and at the same time maintaining the performance and maintainability of your code. The book will show how you can take advantage of PostCSS to simplify the entire process of stylesheet authoring. It covers various techniques to add dynamic and modern styling features to your web pages. As the book progresses, you will learn how to make CSS code more maintainable by taking advantage of the modular architecture of PostCSS. By the end of this book, you would have mastered the art of adding modern CSS effects to web pages by authoring high performing, maintainable stylesheets. Style and approach This comprehensive book provides in-depth guidance on how to build a PostCSS powered responsive site from scratch. Following a step-by-step approach, you will learn how to add modern styles to web pages. It also contains several tips and best practices on how you can optimize your sites by writing high performing code in PostCSS.