Apply modern reinforcement learning and deep reinforcement learning methods using Python and its powerful libraries Key Features * Your entry point into the world of artificial intelligence using the power of Python * An example-rich guide to master various RL and DRL algorithms * Explore the power of modern Python libraries to gain confidence in building self-trained applications Book Description Reinforcement Learning (RL) is the trending and most promising branch of artificial intelligence. This Learning Path will help you master not only the basic reinforcement learning algorithms but also the advanced deep reinforcement learning algorithms. The Learning Path starts with an introduction to RL followed by OpenAI Gym, and TensorFlow. You will then explore various RL algorithms, such as Markov Decision Process, Monte Carlo methods, and dynamic programming, including value and policy iteration. You'll also work on various datasets including image, text, and video. This example-rich guide will introduce you to deep RL algorithms, such as Dueling DQN, DRQN, A3C, PPO, and TRPO. You will gain experience in several domains, including gaming, image processing, and physical simulations. You'll explore TensorFlow and OpenAI Gym to implement algorithms that also predict stock prices, generate natural language, and even build other neural networks. You will also learn about imagination-augmented agents, learning from human preference, DQfD, HER, and many of the recent advancements in RL. By the end of the Learning Path, you will have all the knowledge and experience needed to implement RL and deep RL in your projects, and you enter the world of artificial intelligence to solve various real-life problems. This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products: * Hands-On Reinforcement Learning with Python by Sudharsan Ravichandiran * Python Reinforcement Learning Projects by Sean Saito, Yang Wenzhuo, and Rajalingappaa Shanmugamani What you will learn * Train an agent to walk using OpenAI Gym and TensorFlow * Solve multi-armed-bandit problems using various algorithms * Build intelligent agents using the DRQN algorithm to play the Doom game * Teach your agent to play Connect4 using AlphaGo Zero * Defeat Atari arcade games using the value iteration method * Discover how to deal with discrete and continuous action spaces in various environments Who this book is for If you’re an ML/DL enthusiast interested in AI and want to explore RL and deep RL from scratch, this Learning Path is for you. Prior knowledge of linear algebra is expected.

Design, deploy, and manage large-scale containers using Kubernetes Key Features * Gain insight into the latest features of Kubernetes, including Prometheus and API aggregation * Discover ways to keep your clusters always available, scalable, and up-to-date * Master the skills of designing and deploying large clusters on various cloud platforms Book Description If you are running a number of containers and want to be able to automate the way they’re managed, it can be helpful to have Kubernetes at your disposal. This Learning Path guides you through core Kubernetes constructs, such as pods, services, replica sets, replication controllers, and labels. You'll get started by learning how to integrate your build pipeline and deployments in a Kubernetes cluster. As you cover more chapters in the Learning Path, you'll get up to speed with orchestrating updates behind the scenes, avoiding downtime on your cluster, and dealing with underlying cloud provider instability in your cluster. With the help of real-world use cases, you'll also explore options for network configuration, and understand how to set up, operate, and troubleshoot various Kubernetes networking plugins. In addition to this, you'll gain insights into custom resource development and utilization in automation and maintenance workflows. By the end of this Learning Path, you'll have the expertise you need to progress from an intermediate to an advanced level of understanding Kubernetes. This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products: * Getting Started with Kubernetes - Third Edition by Jonathan Baier and Jesse White * Mastering Kubernetes - Second Edition by Gigi Sayfan What you will learn * Download, install, and configure the Kubernetes code base * Create and configure custom Kubernetes resources * Use third-party resources in your automation workflows * Deliver applications as standard packages * Set up and access monitoring and logging for Kubernetes clusters * Set up external access to applications running in the cluster * Manage and scale Kubernetes with hosted platforms on Amazon Web Services (AWS), Azure, and Google Cloud Platform (GCP) * Run multiple clusters and manage them from a single control plane Who this book is for If you are a developer or a system administrator with an intermediate understanding of Kubernetes and want to master its advanced features, then this book is for you. Basic knowledge of networking is required to easily understand the concepts explained.

Learn end-to-end automation testing techniques for web and mobile browsers using Selenium WebDriver, AppiumDriver, Java, and TestNG Key Features * Explore the Selenium grid architecture and build your own grid for browser and mobile devices * Use ExtentReports for processing results and SauceLabs for cloud-based test services * Unlock the full potential of Selenium to test your web applications. Book Description Selenium WebDriver 3.x is an open source API for testing both browser and mobile applications. With the help of this book, you can build a solid foundation and can easily perform end-to-end testing on web and mobile browsers.You'll begin by being introduced to the Selenium Page Object Model for software development. You'll architect your own framework with a scalable driver class, Java utility classes, and support for third-party tools and plugins. You'll design and build a Selenium grid from scratch to enable the framework to scale and support different browsers, mobile devices, and platforms.You'll strategize and handle a rich web UI using the advanced WebDriver API and learn techniques to handle real-time challenges in WebDriver. You'll perform different types of testing, such as cross-browser testing, load testing, and mobile testing. Finally, you will also be introduced to data-driven testing, using TestNG to create your own automation framework.By the end of this Learning Path, you'll be able to design your own automation testing framework and perform data-driven testing with Selenium WebDriver. This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products: * Selenium WebDriver 3 Practical Guide - Second Edition by Unmesh Gundecha * Selenium Framework Design in Data-Driven Testing by Carl Cocchiaro What you will learn * Use different mobile and desktop browser platforms with Selenium 3 * Use the Actions API for performing various keyboard and mouse actions * Design the Selenium Driver Class for local, remote, and third-party grid support * Build page object classes with the Selenium Page Object Model * Develop data-driven test classes using the TestNG framework * Encapsulate data using the JSON protocol * Build a Selenium Grid for RemoteWebDriver testing * Build and use utility classes in synchronization, file I/O, reporting and test listener classes Who this book is for This Learning Path is ideal for software quality assurance/testing professionals, software project managers, or software developers interested in using Selenium for testing their applications. Professionals responsible for designing and building enterprise-based testing frameworks will also find this Learning Path useful. Prior programming experience in Java are TestNG is necessary.

Explore the world of neural networks by building powerful deep learning models using the R ecosystem Key Features * Get to grips with the fundamentals of deep learning and neural networks * Use R 3.5 and its libraries and APIs to build deep learning models for computer vision and text processing * Implement effective deep learning systems in R with the help of end-to-end projects Book Description Deep learning finds practical applications in several domains, while R is the preferred language for designing and deploying deep learning models. This Learning Path introduces you to the basics of deep learning and even teaches you to build a neural network model from scratch. As you make your way through the chapters, you’ll explore deep learning libraries and understand how to create deep learning models for a variety of challenges, right from anomaly detection to recommendation systems. The book will then help you cover advanced topics, such as generative adversarial networks (GANs), transfer learning, and large-scale deep learning in the cloud, in addition to model optimization, overfitting, and data augmentation. Through real-world projects, you’ll also get up to speed with training convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), and long short-term memory networks (LSTMs) in R. By the end of this Learning Path, you’ll be well versed with deep learning and have the skills you need to implement a number of deep learning concepts in your research work or projects. This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products: * R Deep Learning Essentials - Second Edition by F. Wiley and Mark Hodnett * R Deep Learning Projects by Yuxi (Hayden) Liu and Pablo Maldonado What you will learn * Implement credit card fraud detection with autoencoders * Train neural networks to perform handwritten digit recognition using MXNet * Reconstruct images using variational autoencoders * Explore the applications of autoencoder neural networks in clustering and dimensionality reduction * Create natural language processing (NLP) models using Keras and TensorFlow in R * Prevent models from overfitting the data to improve generalizability * Build shallow neural network prediction models Who this book is for This Learning Path is for aspiring data scientists, data analysts, machine learning developers, and deep learning enthusiasts who are well versed in machine learning concepts and are looking to explore the deep learning paradigm using R. A fundamental understanding of R programming and familiarity with the basic concepts of deep learning are necessary to get the most out of this Learning Path.

Master machine learning techniques with real-world projects that interface TensorFlow with R, H2O, MXNet, and other languages Key Features * Gain expertise in machine learning, deep learning and other techniques * Build intelligent end-to-end projects for finance, social media, and a variety of domains * Implement multi-class classification, regression, and clustering Book Description R is one of the most popular languages when it comes to exploring the mathematical side of machine learning and easily performing computational statistics. This Learning Path shows you how to leverage the R ecosystem to build efficient machine learning applications that carry out intelligent tasks within your organization. You'll tackle realistic projects such as building powerful machine learning models with ensembles to predict employee attrition. You'll explore different clustering techniques to segment customers using wholesale data and use TensorFlow and Keras-R for performing advanced computations. You’ll also be introduced to reinforcement learning along with its various use cases and models. Additionally, it shows you how some of these black-box models can be diagnosed and understood. By the end of this Learning Path, you’ll be equipped with the skills you need to deploy machine learning techniques in your own projects. This Learning Path includes content from the following Packt products: * R Machine Learning Projects by Dr. Sunil Kumar Chinnamgari * Mastering Machine Learning with R - Third Edition by Cory Lesmeister What you will learn * Develop a joke recommendation engine to recommend jokes that match users’ tastes * Build autoencoders for credit card fraud detection * Work with image recognition and convolutional neural networks * Make predictions for casino slot machine using reinforcement learning * Implement NLP techniques for sentiment analysis and customer segmentation * Produce simple and effective data visualizations for improved insights * Use NLP to extract insights for text * Implement tree-based classifiers including random forest and boosted tree Who this book is for If you are a data analyst, data scientist, or machine learning developer this is an ideal Learning Path for you. Each project will help you test your skills in implementing machine learning algorithms and techniques. A basic understanding of machine learning and working knowledge of R programming is necessary to get the most out of this Learning Path.

Enhance your understanding of Computer Vision and image processing by developing real-world projects in OpenCV 3About This BookGet to grips with the basics of Computer Vision and image processingThis is a step-by-step guide to developing several real-world Computer Vision projects using OpenCV 3This book takes a special focus on working with Tesseract OCR, a free, open-source library to recognize text in imagesWho This Book Is ForIf you are a software developer with a basic understanding of Computer Vision and image processing and want to develop interesting Computer Vision applications with Open CV, this is the book for you. Knowledge of C++ is required.What You Will LearnInstall OpenCV 3 on your operating systemCreate the required CMake *s to compile the C++ application and manage its dependenciesGet to grips with the Computer Vision workflows and understand the basic image matrix format and filtersUnderstand the segmentation and feature extraction techniquesRemove backgrounds from a static scene to identify moving objects for video surveillanceTrack different objects in a live video using various techniquesUse the new OpenCV functions for text detection and recognition with TesseractIn DetailOpen CV is a cross-platform, free-for-use library that is primarily used for real-time Computer Vision and image processing. It is considered to be one of the best open source libraries that helps developers focus on constructing complete projects on image processing, motion detection, and image segmentation.Whether you are completely new to the concept of Computer Vision or have a basic understanding of it, this book will be your guide to understanding the basic OpenCV concepts and algorithms through amazing real-world examples and projects.Starting from the installation of OpenCV on your system and understanding the basics of image processing, we swiftly move on to creating optical flow video analysis or text recognition in complex scenes, and will take you through the commonly used Computer Vision techniques to build your own Open CV projects from scratch.By the end of this book, you will be familiar with the basics of Open CV such as matrix operations, filters, and histograms, as well as more advanced concepts such as segmentation, machine learning, complex video analysis, and text recognition.Style and approachThis book is a practical guide with lots of tips, and is closely focused on developing Computer vision applications with OpenCV. Beginning with the fundamentals, the complexity increases with each chapter. Sample applications are developed throughout the book that you can execute and use in your own projects.

Over 25 hands-on recipes to create robust and highly-efficient cross-platform distributed applications with the Boost.Asio libraryAbout This BookBuild highly efficient distributed applications with easeEnhance your cross-platform network programming skills with one of the most reputable C++ librariesFind solutions to real-world problems related to network programming with ready-to-use recipes using this detailed and practical handbookWho This Book Is ForIf you want to enhance your C++ network programming skills using the Boost.Asio library and understand the theory behind development of distributed applications, this book is just what you need. The prerequisite for this book is experience with general C++11. To get the most from the book and comprehend advanced topics, you will need some background experience in multithreading.What You Will LearnBoost your working knowledge of one of the most reputable C++ networking libraries—Boost.AsioFamiliarize yourself with the basics of TCP and UDP protocolsCreate scalable and highly-efficient client and server applicationsUnderstand the theory behind development of distributed applicationsIncrease the security of your distributed applications by adding SSL supportImplement a HTTP client easilyUse iostreams, scatter-gather buffers, and timersIn DetailStarting with recipes demonstrating the execution of basic Boost.Asio operations, the book goes on to provide ready-to-use implementations of client and server applications from simple synchronous ones to powerful multithreaded scalable solutions. Finally, you are presented with advanced topics such as implementing a chat application, implementing an HTTP client, and adding SSL support. All the samples presented in the book are ready to be used in real projects just out of the box.As well as excellent practical examples, the book also includes extended supportive theoretical material on distributed application design and construction.Style and approachThis book is a set of recipes, each containing the statement and de*ion of a particular practical problem followed by code sample providing the solution to the problem and detailed step-by-step explanation. Recipes are grouped by topic into chapters and ordered by the level of complexity from basic to advanced.

Over 80 recipes to get up and running with CentOS 7 Linux serverAbout This BookA practical guide to install, configure, administer and maintain CentOS 7 serversAn in-depth guide to the CentOS 7 operating system, exploring its various new features and changes in server administrationPresents tricks and solutions to tackle common server issues with the help of practical examples and real-life scenariosWho This Book Is ForThis book is targeted at beginner and more experienced system administrators alike who want to use CentOS as their server solution. Readers do not need much pre-knowledge or experience at all to work with this book.What You Will LearnInstall and configure CentOS 7 Linux server system from scratch using normal and advanced methodsMaintain a performance-based and secure server solution by deploying expert configuration advice and managing software packagesMonitor, manage and develop your server's file system to maintain a stable performanceGain best practice methods on sharing files and resources through a networkInstall and configure common standard services such as web, mail, FTP, database and domain name server technologiesIntroduce you to the world of operating-system-level virtualization using the Docker platform.Understand the fundamentals of the Security-Enhanced Linux access control architectureMonitor your IT infrastructure using NagiosIn DetailThis book will provide you with a comprehensive series of starting points that will give you direct access to the inner workings of the latest CentOS version 7 and help you trim the learning curve to master your server.You will begin with the installation and basic configuration of CentOS 7, followed by learning how to manage your system, services and software packages. You will then gain an understanding of how to administer the file system, secure access to your server and configure various resource sharing services such as file, printer and DHCP servers across your network. Further on, we cover advanced topics such as FTP services, building your own DNS server, running database servers, and providing mail and web services. Finally, you will get a deep understanding of SELinux and you will learn how to work with Docker operating-system virtualization and how to monitor your IT infrastructure with Nagios.By the end of this book, you will have a fair understanding of all the aspects of configuring, implementing and administering CentOS 7 Linux server and how to put it in control.Style and approachThis book is a practical reference guide with hands-on examples and solutions to real-world administration problems. It covers in-depth and comprehensive information on CentOS 7 and its new features.

Gain practical insights into predictive modelling by implementing Predictive Analytics algorithms on public datasets with PythonAbout This BookA step-by-step guide to predictive modeling including lots of tips, tricks, and best practicesGet to grips with the basics of Predictive Analytics with PythonLearn how to use the popular predictive modeling algorithms such as Linear Regression, Decision Trees, Logistic Regression, and ClusteringWho This Book Is ForIf you wish to learn how to implement Predictive Analytics algorithms using Python libraries, then this is the book for you. If you are familiar with coding in Python (or some other programming/statistical/*ing language) but have never used or read about Predictive Analytics algorithms, this book will also help you. The book will be beneficial to and can be read by any Data Science enthusiasts. Some familiarity with Python will be useful to get the most out of this book, but it is certainly not a prerequisite.What You Will LearnUnderstand the statistical and mathematical concepts behind Predictive Analytics algorithms and implement Predictive Analytics algorithms using Python librariesAnalyze the result parameters arising from the implementation of Predictive Analytics algorithmsWrite Python modules/functions from scratch to execute segments or the whole of these algorithmsRecognize and mitigate various contingencies and issues related to the implementation of Predictive Analytics algorithmsGet to know various methods of importing, cleaning, sub-setting, merging, joining, concatenating, exploring, grouping, and plotting data with pandas and numpyCreate dummy datasets and simple mathematical simulations using the Python numpy and pandas librariesUnderstand the best practices while handling datasets in Python and creating predictive models out of themIn DetailSocial Media and the Internet of Things have resulted in an avalanche of data. Data is powerful but not in its raw form - It needs to be processed and modeled, and Python is one of the most robust tools out there to do so. It has an array of packages for predictive modeling and a suite of IDEs to choose from. Learning to predict who would win, lose, buy, lie, or die with Python is an indispensable skill set to have in this data age.This book is your guide to getting started with Predictive Analytics using Python. You will see how to process data and make predictive models from it. We balance both statistical and mathematical concepts, and implement them in Python using libraries such as pandas, scikit-learn, and numpy.You’ll start by getting an understanding of the basics of predictive modeling, then you will see how to cleanse your data of impurities and get it ready it for predictive modeling. You will also learn more about the best predictive modeling algorithms such as Linear Regression, Decision Trees, and Logistic Regression. Finally, you will see the best practices in predictive modeling, as well as the different applications of predictive modeling in the modern world.Style and approachAll the concepts in this book been explained and illustrated using a dataset, and in a step-by-step manner. The Python code snippet to implement a method or concept is followed by the output, such as charts, dataset heads, pictures, and so on. The statistical concepts are explained in detail wherever required.

Develop games for iOS and Android using Cocos2d with the aid of over 70 step-by-step recipesAbout This BookLearn to efficiently use Cocos2d to develop cross-platform games, and have them work on iOS as well as AndroidGet acquainted with industry-wide professional tools such as Glyph Designer, Texture Packer, and Physics Editor, as well as using the Swift/ Sprite builder implementation of Cocos2dUse the easy-to-follow recipes to develop as well as deploy games to the Playstore and the App StoreWho This Book Is ForThis book is for intermediate game developers and especially the ones who are generally curious to find out what’s new in Cocos2d v 3.3.What You Will LearnBuild custom sprites with custom animations for the gameBuild interactivity into your game by adding gestures and touch interactionsUnderstand AI enemy programming and path finding to make games more excitingAdd physics to your game to make it more lively and interactiveGet familiar with the Swift and Sprite builder implementations along with Objective-C programmingPerform hassle-free deployment of games built in iOS onto AndroidAdd effects and particle systems to make the game more colorfulIn DetailCocos2d is the world’s leading game development framework for developing iOS games. With the introduction of Swift and Spritebuilder, it has become easier than ever to develop the games of your dreams without much effort. With Cocos2d, you can also deploy the game on Android, thereby maximizing profit and reducing development and porting costs.The book starts off with a detailed look at how to implement sprites and animations into your game to make it livelier. You will then learn to add scenes to the game such as the gameplay scene and options scene and create menus and buttons in these scenes, as well as creating transitions between them. From there on, you will get an understanding of how to program user interactions such as tapping, holding, and swiping. You’ll then add accelerometer inputs and physics to the scene, and make objects respond back to the inputs. A game is practically incomplete without audio being added, so this will be covered next.The next section will include ways to add Artificial Intelligence to enemies in the game, allowing them to patrol, chase, and shoot in a projectile manner. You will then learn to use NSUserDefault to save and load game progress, and create and access files using JSON, Plist, and XML files for custom storage and retrieval of data. Then you will learn to add dynamic lighting to your game and will use industry-wide tools such as Texture Packer, Glyph Designer, Physics Editor, Particle Designer, and Sprite Illuminator to create more visually appealing and performance-optimized games.Towards the end of the book, we dive into Apple’s latest programming language—Swift, highlighting the major differences between Objective C and Swift. The book culminates with taking your existing game developed for iOS and porting it to Android, showing you how to install the Android Xcode plugin as well.Style and approachThe book is written in an extremely lucid and step-by-step manner; it can be understood easily by anyone. The topics included are broken down into individual chapters so you can refer to the specific chapter to get answers on the subject you are interested in.

Master Puppet for configuration management of your systems in an enterprise deploymentAbout This BookThis book is an advanced guide to using and deploying Puppet 4 in your organization with a special focus on issues faced in larger enterprise deploymentsFrom an experienced author, learn to deal with scaling, performance, and multiple developers with the help of real-world examplesThis is the most up-to-date guide on Puppet, and covers the advanced concepts of Puppet 4Who This Book Is ForThis book is for those who have intermediate knowledge of Puppet and are looking to deploy it in their environment. Some idea how to write simple modules for configuration management with Puppet is a prerequisite for this book.What You Will LearnScale out your Puppet infrastructure using proxying techniquesAutomate your code promotion workflow using Git and r10kSolve real-world problems using public modules from the Puppet ForgeUse Hiera to separate the data of your configuration from the code of your configurationWrite your own custom facts in RubyExtend Puppet with your own custom facts, modules, and typesUse exported resources to orchestrate change between machinesDebug a puppetserver using Java techniquesIn DetailPuppet is a configuration management system and a language. It was written for and by system administrators to manage large numbers of systems efficiently and prevent configuration drifts.Mastering Puppet deals with the issues faced when scaling out Puppet to handle large numbers of nodes. It will show you how to fit Puppet into your enterprise and allow many developers to work on your Puppet code simultaneously. In addition, you will learn to write custom facts and roll your own modules to solve problems. Next, popular options for performing reporting and orchestration tasks will be introduced in this book. Moving over to troubleshooting techniques, which will be very useful. The concepts presented are useful to any size organization.By the end of the book, you will know how to deal with problems of scale and exceptions in your code, automate workflows, and support multiple developers working simultaneously.Style and approachThis book is a step-wise guide packed with examples to help you configure complex systems in Puppet.

Over 90 hands-on recipes that will employ Nagios Core as the anchor of monitoring on your networkAbout This BookMaster the advanced configuration techniques of Nagios Core to model your network better by improving hosts, services, and contactsFilter and improve the notifications that Nagios Core sends in response to failed checks, which can greatly assist you when diagnosing problemsPull Nagios Core's data into a database to write clever custom reports of your own deviseWho This Book Is ForIf you are a network or system administrator and are looking for instructions and examples on working with Nagios Core, then this book is for you. Some basic shell command-line experience is required, and some knowledge of *ing would be helpful when we discuss how plugins work.What You Will LearnManage the configuration of Nagios Core with advanced techniques to achieve fine detail in your checksFind, install, and even write your own check pluginsFilter notifications to send them to the right people or programs at the right timeWork around difficult network accessibility issues and delegate checks to other machinesTweak a Nagios Core server to achieve both high performance and redundancy in case of disasterProcess the results of checks performed by other machines to monitor backups and similar processesExtend Nagios Core to allow advanced *ing, reporting, and network visualization behaviorIn DetailNagios Core is an open source monitoring framework suitable for any network that ensures both internal and customer-facing services are running correctly and manages notification and reporting behavior to diagnose and fix outages promptly. It allows very fine configuration of exactly when, where, what, and how to check network services to meet both the uptime goals of your network and systems team and the needs of your users.This book shows system and network administrators how to use Nagios Core to its fullest as a monitoring framework for checks on any kind of network services, from the smallest home network to much larger production multi-site services. You will discover that Nagios Core is capable of doing much more than pinging a host or to see whether websites respond.The recipes in this book will demonstrate how to leverage Nagios Core's advanced configuration, *ing hooks, reports, data retrieval, and extensibility to integrate it with your existing systems, and to make it the rock-solid center of your network monitoring world.Style and approachEach chapter contains a set of step-by-step recipes to perform an example of a commonly performed task related to network administration. The book begins by focusing closely on the properties and configuration of Nagios Core itself, and gradually moves on to other pieces of software that can support, manage, and extend the system.

An administrator’s guide to configuring, securing, customizing, and extending MoodleAbout This BookLearn how to plan, install, optimize, customize, and configure MoodleGuarantee a cutting-edge learning experience in a secure and customizable environment while optimizing your day-to-day workloadA one-stop guide with a problem-solution approach and a wide range of real-world examplesWho This Book Is ForIf you are a technician, systems administrator, or part of academic staff, this is the book for you. This book is ideal for anyone who has to administer a Moodle system. Whether you are dealing with a small-scale local Moodle system or a large-scale multi-site Virtual Learning Environment, this book will assist you with any administrative task. Some basic Moodle knowledge is helpful, but not essential.What You Will LearnInstall and update Moodle on multiple platforms manually and via CLI and GITManage courses and categories, users and cohorts, as well as rolesGet Moodle hooked up to repositories, portfolios, and open badgesConfigure Moodle for mobile usage, accessibility, localization, communication, and collaborationGuarantee backups, security and privacy, and achieve maximum performance via the Moodle Universal Cache and the new cron systemConfigure the Moodle events system to generate comprehensive reports, statistics, and learning analyticsNetwork Moodle with Mahara and extend it with third-party add-ons and via LTICustomize Moodle web services to enable mobile learning and integration with other IT systemsIn DetailMoodle is the de facto standard for open source learning platforms. However, setting up and managing a learning environment can be a complex task since it covers a wide range of technical, organizational, and pedagogical topics. This ranges from basic user and course management, to configuring plugins and design elements, all the way to system settings, performance optimization, events frameworks, and so on.This book concentrates on basic tasks such as how to set up and configure Moodle and how to perform day-to-day administration activities, and progresses on to more advanced topics that show you how to customize and extend Moodle, manage courses, cohorts, and users, and how to work with roles and capabilities. You’ll learn to configure Moodle plugins and ensure your VLE conforms to pedagogical and technical requirements in your organization. You’ll then learn how to integrate the VLE via web services and network it with other sites, including Mahara, and extend your system via plugins and LTI. By the end of this book, you will be able to set up an efficient, fully fledged, and secure Moodle system.Style and approachThe book takes a problem-solution approach to fall in line with your day-to-day operations. This is a one-stop reference for any task you will ever come across when administering a Moodle site of any shape and size.

Over 80 recipes on how to identify, exploit, and test web application security with Kali Linux 2About This BookFamiliarize yourself with the most common web vulnerabilities a web application faces, and understand how attackers take advantage of themSet up a penetration testing lab to conduct a preliminary assessment of attack surfaces and run exploitsLearn how to prevent vulnerabilities in web applications before an attacker can make the most of itWho This Book Is ForThis book is for IT professionals, web developers, security enthusiasts, and security professionals who want an accessible reference on how to find, exploit, and prevent security vulnerabilities in web applications. You should know the basics of operating a Linux environment and have some exposure to security technologies and tools.What You Will LearnSet up a penetration testing laboratory in a secure wayFind out what information is useful to gather when performing penetration tests and where to look for itUse crawlers and spiders to investigate an entire website in minutesDiscover security vulnerabilities in web applications in the web browser and using command-line toolsImprove your testing efficiency with the use of automated vulnerability scannersExploit vulnerabilities that require a complex setup, run custom-made exploits, and prepare for extraordinary scenariosSet up Man in the Middle attacks and use them to identify and exploit security flaws within the communication between users and the web serverCreate a malicious site that will find and exploit vulnerabilities in the user's web browserRepair the most common web vulnerabilities and understand how to prevent them becoming a threat to a site's securityIn DetailWeb applications are a huge point of attack for malicious hackers and a critical area for security professionals and penetration testers to lock down and secure. Kali Linux is a Linux-based penetration testing platform and operating system that provides a huge array of testing tools, many of which can be used specifically to execute web penetration testing.This book will teach you, in the form step-by-step recipes, how to detect a wide array of vulnerabilities, exploit them to analyze their consequences, and ultimately buffer attackable surfaces so applications are more secure, for you and your users.Starting from the setup of a testing laboratory, this book will give you the skills you need to cover every stage of a penetration test: from gathering information about the system and the application to identifying vulnerabilities through manual testing and the use of vulnerability scanners to both basic and advanced exploitation techniques that may lead to a full system compromise. Finally, we will put this into the context of OWASP and the top 10 web application vulnerabilities you are most likely to encounter, equipping you with the ability to combat them effectively. By the end of the book, you will have the required skills to identify, exploit, and prevent web application vulnerabilities.Style and approachTaking a recipe-based approach to web security, this book has been designed to cover each stage of a penetration test, with de*ions on how tools work and why certain programming or configuration practices can become security vulnerabilities that may put a whole system, or network, at risk. Each topic is presented as a sequence of tasks and contains a proper explanation of why each task is performed and what it accomplishes.

Explore real-world threat scenarios, attacks on mobile applications, and ways to counter them About This Book Gain insights into the current threat landscape of mobile applications in particular Explore the different options that are available on mobile platforms and prevent circumventions made by attackers This is a step-by-step guide to setting up your own mobile penetration testing environment Who This Book Is For If you are a mobile application evangelist, mobile application developer, information security practitioner, penetration tester on infrastructure web applications, an application security professional, or someone who wants to learn mobile application security as a career, then this book is for you. This book will provide you with all the skills you need to get started with Android and iOS pen-testing. What You Will Learn Gain an in-depth understanding of Android and iOS architecture and the latest changes Discover how to work with different tool suites to assess any application Develop different strategies and techniques to connect to a mobile device Create a foundation for mobile application security principles Grasp techniques to attack different components of an Android device and the different functionalities of an iOS device Get to know secure development strategies for both iOS and Android applications Gain an understanding of threat modeling mobile applications Get an in-depth understanding of both Android and iOS implementation vulnerabilities and how to provide counter-measures while developing a mobile app In Detail Mobile security has come a long way over the last few years. It has transitioned from "should it be done?" to "it must be done!"Alongside the growing number of devises and applications, there is also a growth in the volume of Personally identifiable information (PII), Financial Data, and much more. This data needs to be secured. This is why Pen-testing is so important to modern application developers. You need to know how to secure user data, and find vulnerabilities and loopholes in your application that might lead to security breaches. This book gives you the necessary skills to security test your mobile applications as a beginner, developer, or security practitioner. You'll start by discovering the internal components of an Android and an iOS application. Moving ahead, you'll understand the inter-process working of these applications. Then you'll set up a test environment for this application using various tools to identify the loopholes and vulnerabilities in the structure of the applications. Finally, after collecting all information about these security loop holes, we'll start securing our applications from these threats. Style and approach This is an easy-to-follow guide full of hands-on examples of real-world attack simulations. Each topic is explained in context with respect to testing, and for the more inquisitive, there are more details on the concepts and techniques used for different platforms.

Over 40 practical recipes to get your hands dirty with the powerful Cisco UCS and overcome various challenges About This Book Master the skills of minimizing cost, enabling your business to work faster by reducing cycle times for reporting and improving overall revenue Work through hands-on recipes for efficient deployment approaches, see computing techniques, and explore new operational models with UCS Render a better work-flow management, ensure effective monitoring, and learn new deployment paradigms for the operational infrastructure with the help of this book Who This Book Is For This book is for competent system/network or storage administrators who are working with Cisco UCS, but now want to learn new ways to compute UCS. What You Will Learn Familiarize yourself with information on the latest information on memory management practices, virtualization architectures, and the specific technical advantages of UCS Get a concrete understanding of integrating processes and techniques to ensure effective convergence of LAN/SAN Get to know the best practices of Cisco UCS, EMC Storage, and VMware vSphere Master migrating data from other band servers or Blade to Cisco UCS Comprehend how to replicate and back up UCS to remote sites UCS Assimilate innovative techniques to deploy UCS to leverage its full potential Gather information on installing and configuring automatic and manual Pinning Discover ways to integrate a system in Cisco UCS In Detail Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) is a data center server platform that is used for computing, deploying, and storing resources in data center environments. This cookbook aims to teach you about various tasks you can implement to improve your existing method of configuring and deploying UCS. You will start by learning how to upgrade your firmware on Brocade and Cisco Fibre Channel Switch and will move on to enhance your knowledge of LAN connectivity. We will then discuss how to configure Windows 2008 and 2012 local boot in Cisco UCS. Next, you will learn how to install the operating system on Cisco UCS and use Cisco UCS Power Calculator to calculate the UCS consumption. Finally, we’ll take a look at backup solutions. By the end of the book, you will know several ways to build and compute in data center environment using Cisco UCS. Style and approach This guide explains every task in a conversational and easy-to-follow style. You can open this book up to the task you want to learn and will be able to perform that task by the end of the recipe.

Understand the fundamentals of machine learning with R and build your own dynamic algorithms to tackle complicated real-world problems successfully About This Book Get to grips with the concepts of machine learning through exciting real-world examples Visualize and solve complex problems by using power-packed R constructs and its robust packages for machine learning Learn to build your own machine learning system with this example-based practical guide Who This Book Is For If you are interested in mining useful information from data using state-of-the-art techniques to make data-driven decisions, this is a go-to guide for you. No prior experience with data science is required, although basic knowledge of R is highly desirable. Prior knowledge in machine learning would be helpful but is not necessary. What You Will Learn Utilize the power of R to handle data extraction, manipulation, and exploration techniques Use R to visualize data spread across multiple dimensions and extract useful features Explore the underlying mathematical and logical concepts that drive machine learning algorithms Dive deep into the world of analytics to predict situations correctly Implement R machine learning algorithms from scratch and be amazed to see the algorithms in action Write reusable code and build complete machine learning systems from the ground up Solve interesting real-world problems using machine learning and R as the journey unfolds Harness the power of robust and optimized R packages to work on projects that solve real-world problems in machine learning and data science In Detail Data science and machine learning are some of the top buzzwords in the technical world today. From retail stores to Fortune 500 companies, everyone is working hard to making machine learning give them data-driven insights to grow their business. With powerful data manipulation features, machine learning packages, and an active developer community, R empowers users to build sophisticated machine learning systems to solve real-world data problems. This book takes you on a data-driven journey that starts with the very basics of R and machine learning and gradually builds upon the concepts to work on projects that tackle real-world problems. You’ll begin by getting an understanding of the core concepts and definitions required to appreciate machine learning algorithms and concepts. Building upon the basics, you will then work on three different projects to apply the concepts of machine learning, following current trends and cover major algorithms as well as popular R packages in detail. These projects have been neatly divided into six different chapters covering the worlds of e-commerce, finance, and social-media, which are at the very core of this data-driven revolution. Each of the projects will help you to understand, explore, visualize, and derive insights depending upon the domain and algorithms. Through this book, you will learn to apply the concepts of machine learning to deal with data-related problems and solve them using the powerful yet simple language, R. Style and approach The book is an enticing journey that starts from the very basics to gradually pick up pace as the story unfolds. Each concept is first defined in the larger context of things succinctly, followed by a detailed explanation of their application. Each topic is explained with the help of a project that solves a real real-world problem involving hands-on work thus giving you a deep insight into the world of machine learning.

Discover the power of Drools 6 and Business Rules for developing complex scenarios in your applications About This Book Implement and model different rules using the DRL full syntax Model complex business decisions and domain models in order to automate and improve your operational decisions with the Drools framework A practical, fast-paced, hands-on guide to help you use the different components provided by the Drools Rule Engine Who This Book Is For This book is for Java developers and architects who need to have a deep understanding of how to create or integrate your applications with the Drools Rules Framework. The book assumes that you know the Java language well and also have experience with some widely used frameworks, such as Spring. You should also know the basics of Maven-based applications. What You Will Learn Automate your application’s decisions, such as promotion applying, discount policies, fraud detection, and more. Quickly get started with writing your first rules using the DRL full syntax. Discover the power of the new syntax components of the rule language. Define inferences in your business rules to simplify complex decisions. Write decision tables, templates,domain-specific languages, and scorecards, and learn how to map them to the Drools framework. Harness the full operational power of Drools through all of its configuration points. Use Drools configurations and architectures for different environments and scenarios. In Detail Mastering JBoss Drools 6 will provide you with the knowledge to develop applications involving complex scenarios. You will learn how to use KIE modules to create and execute Business Rules, and how the PHREAK algorithm internally works to drive the Rule Engine decisions. This book will also cover the relationship between Drools and jBPM, which allows you to enrich your applications by using Business Processes. You will be briefly introduced to the concept of complex event processing (Drools CEP) where you will learn how to aggregate and correlate your data based on temporal conditions. You will also learn how to define rules using domain-specific languages, such as spreadsheets, database entries, PMML, and more. Towards the end, this book will take you through the integration of Drools with the Spring and Camel frameworks for more complex applications. Style and approach Approached from a developer’s perspective, the book teaches you all the advanced concepts of Business Rules applicable examples with helpful screenshots, diagrams, tutorials, and examples.

Analyze data network like a professional by mastering Wireshark - From 0 to 1337 About This Book Master Wireshark and train it as your network sniffer Impress your peers and get yourself pronounced as a network doctor Understand Wireshark and its numerous features with the aid of this fast-paced book packed with numerous screenshots, and become a pro at resolving network anomalies Who This Book Is For Are you curious to know what’s going on in a networkDo you get frustrated when you are unable to detect the cause of problems in your networksThis is where the book comes into play. Mastering Wireshark is for developers or network enthusiasts who are interested in understanding the internal workings of networks and have prior knowledge of using Wireshark, but are not aware about all of its functionalities. What You Will Learn Install Wireshark and understand its GUI and all the functionalities of it Create and use different filters Analyze different layers of network protocols and know the amount of packets that flow through the network Decrypt encrypted wireless traffic Use Wireshark as a diagnostic tool and also for network security analysis to keep track of malware Troubleshoot all the network anomalies with help of Wireshark Resolve latencies and bottleneck issues in the network In Detail Wireshark is a popular and powerful tool used to analyze the amount of bits and bytes that are flowing through a network. Wireshark deals with the second to seventh layer of network protocols, and the analysis made is presented in a human readable form. Mastering Wireshark will help you raise your knowledge to an expert level. At the start of the book, you will be taught how to install Wireshark, and will be introduced to its interface so you understand all its functionalities. Moving forward, you will discover different ways to create and use capture and display filters. Halfway through the book, you’ll be mastering the features of Wireshark, analyzing different layers of the network protocol, looking for any anomalies. As you reach to the end of the book, you will be taught how to use Wireshark for network security analysis and configure it for troubleshooting purposes. Style and approach Every chapter in this book is explained to you in an easy way accompanied by real-life examples and screenshots of the interface, making it easy for you to become an expert at using Wireshark.

Over 120 practical and easy-to-understand recipes that explain how to use Sass and Compass to write efficient, maintainable, and reusable CSS code for your web development projects About This Book Leverage Sass to make your CSS code maintainable, reusable and prevent code duplications Shorten debug time with Sass when creating complex CSS code for different browsers and devices Write easy and bullet-proof CSS with Compass using this step-by-step and detailed guide Who This Book Is For This book is mainly intended for web developers and designers who are comfortable with CSS and HTML. If you are someone with some experience with CSS, you will find the learning curve of learning Sass syntax to be less steep. Basic knowledge of web development is helpful but you don't have to be a programmer to understand Sass. What You Will Learn Spend less time debugging code Compile Sass code into readable and maintainable CSS Integrate Sass in your own projects Reuse your code to prevent code duplications Write reusable and portable CSS code Make use of pre-built and established code written by other developers Reduce development and maintenance time of your projects Set up a development environment with Gulp In Detail Sass and Compass Designer's Cookbook helps you to get most out of CSS3 and harness its benefits to create engaging and receptive applications. This book will help you develop faster and reduce the maintenance time for your web development projects by using Sass and Compass. You will learn how to use with CSS frameworks such as Bootstrap and Foundation and understand how to use other libraries of pre-built mixins. You will also learn setting up a development environment with Gulp. This book guides you through all the concepts and gives you practical examples for full understanding. Style and approach This book is the perfect mix of essential theory combined with real-life examples and problems, with clear explanations of the more sophisticated Sass concepts. Learn Sass and Compass with practical and well-explained example code. This book follows a problem and solution approach that is convenient to understand and follow.

Over 70 incredibly effective and practical recipes to get you up and running with Sitecore development About This Book Build enterprise-level rich websites quickly and deliver the best possible content management to your website Get maximum usage of functionalities like different user interfaces, workflow, publishing, search, analytics, etc and learn different rendering techniques using presentation components for data bindings, events, handlers, schedulers, media, etc. Add a surprising amount of functionality just by customizing the Sitecore architecture through the best practices contained in this book Who This Book Is For If you are a Sitecore developer or a programmer who wants to expand your Sitecore development skills, this book is ideal for you. You will need working knowledge of ASP.NET WebForms or MVC, as well as HTML, and a basic knowledge of Sitecore installation. What You Will Learn Create, access, and personalize your website content using different Sitecore presentation components Learn how to extend the presentation components to fulfill some real-life requiremnts such as improving the site’s performance, generating Rss feeds and so on Work with multiple websites on a single Sitecore instance and create multilingual websites Customize the Sitecore interfaces as per your business requirements to provide easier and error-free user interface to content authors to save time and improve accuracy Customize the Sitecore backend architecture as per your business needs Automate tasks and achieve scalability by altering the development and configuration settings Integrate external systems with Sitecore to import or export content and secure user interactions Integrate the advanced features of analytics and personalization, to get the best possible customer experience and generate its reports In Detail This book will get you started on building rich websites, and customizing user interfaces by creating content management applications quickly. It will give you an insight into web designs and how to customize the Sitecore architecture as per your website's requirements using best practices. Packed with over 70 recipes to help you achieve and solve real-world common tasks, requirements, and the problems of content management, content delivery, and publishing instance environments. It also presents recipes on Sitecore’s backend processes of customizing pipelines, creating custom event handler and media handler, setting hooks to interpret foreign language URL and more. Other topics covered include creating a workflow action, publishing sublayouts and media files, securing your environment by customizing user profiles and access rights, boosting search capabilities, optimising performance, scalability and high-availability of Sitecore instances and much more. By the end of this book, you will have be able to add virtually limitless features to your websites by developing and deploying Sitecore efficiently. Style and approach This easy-to-follow guide is full of hands-on recipes on real-world development tasks to improve your existing Sitecore system. Each topic is presented with its benefits and detailed steps to achieve it through well-explained code and images.