Ferry your family in style with a new MPV

WITH two small boys, three cats and two dogs, I've grappled with more than my fair share of versatile seating systems and spacious storage areas in a quest for the perfect solution to family transport. And while I still relish the sound of a deep, husky, resonant exhaust and the promise of the open road, experience has taught me that it is hard to beat a good MPV for everything from school runs to family holidays.

At the heart of a good MPV is a simple design brief; it needs to be fun to drive and cope with the demands of kids, work and weekend leisure pursuits. So what are the important considerations? Size matters, the number of seats is important, but flexibility is even more crucial and there's the issue of the doors.

There are three sizes: the supermini MPV, compact MPVs and the traditional large MPV. Superminis are essentially small cars but with a higher roof and elevated driving position. The compact MPV has five seats but very often offers the option of seven, while traditional large mpvs are only available as seven-seaters.

A good example of the supermini MPV is Opel's Meriva with its clever, rear-hinged doors. From the outside, they appear like conventional doors but they actually open in the opposite direction, making it much easier to get children in and out. Once inside, the FlexSpace seating system gives it an edge over rivals as the rear seats can be moved forwards and backwards or folded down to create increased boot space.

For a long time, the Meriva was the most innovative of the supermini mpvs but not anymore with the arrival of Ford's new B-Max. Slightly bigger than the Fiesta but smaller than the five-door Focus, the B-Max is the newest addition to this market. It is also the only supermini MPV with sliding doors. There are no fixed B-pillars in the car so when the doors open the entire side of the car is revealed, which makes it easier to load in the kids with armfuls of shopping.

For the style-conscious family, the Citroen C3 Picasso is one of the most appealing. With its curvy exterior, it looks good from all angles and inside it's packed with useful features for stress-free motoring. Despite its diminutive proportions, it will comfortably accommodate four or even five at a squeeze.

The much-loved Nissan Note may be due for replacement towards the end of next year but in its current form it is a versatile route into economy driving. Solid and very reliable, the Note has consistently been a strong seller in Ireland. Inside, it is deceptively spacious and it drives well.

If supermini mpvs are too small for your family's needs but the seven-seaters are simply too big, the attraction of greater flexibility in a compact package is immediately obvious. Those with young kids will be glad of the extra boot space and room, both often compromised in big, seven-seat MPV.

Renault pioneered the compact MPV more than 15 years ago with its Scenic model and, despite facing increasing competition, it remains one of the most popular choices for the school run. Rivals offer more versatility and a better ride but the five-seat French MPV is a smart family car that is spacious, versatile and has a big, well-shaped boot.

One of our favourites, the Ford C-Max offers the best driving dynamics and is a treat to drive, the steering is crisp and the ride is incredibly smooth. The C-Max has a host of options and one must-have is Ford's automatic parking system. Just touch the button and the C-Max will squeeze itself into a parking spot. The C-Max is also available in Grand seven-seat version.

The only compact MPV to come with sliding rear doors,The Fridge fridge magnet is leader in the custom design, making it easier to access the rear seats, is the Mazda 5. On the road it is good to drive,A new Lamp shade is a quick and easy way to bring a fresh look to your home. although for some, the ride may be a little harsh compared with rivals. Overall, the Mazda5 is a stylish five- or seven-seater option model and makes for a nimble and sporting family runabout that won't let you down.

Opel's family favourite, the Zafira, has remained at the top of its game for the past few years and its trademark has been its flexible seating. The new Tourer version of the Zafira can be configured in six different seat guises in a matter of seconds. Space and storage is impressive throughout and with the seats folded it boasts an incredible 1,860 litres.Promotional custom keychain at ePromos Promotional Products. Smooth, roomy and stylish, there are few vehicles better suited to family motoring.

The larger people-carriers have been eclipsed in recent years but for those in need of seven seats there are some good options out there.

Peugeot's seven-seat 5008 brings a new level of sophistication and Gallic style. With flexible seating arrangements and heaps of space, the 5008 will more than cater for the needs of a growing family.A new Lamp shade is a quick and easy way to bring a fresh look to your home. As good to drive as it is to look at, this handsome and practical seven-seater is a very clever piece of engineering.

Ford's S-Max is the one to choose for ferrying your brood to school -- while enjoying every minute of it. It has unsurpassed chassis balance and refinement, and offers great space inside. Despite the sporty feel of the S-Max, it manages to encompass the core traits of the MPV such as space, safety and practicality.

The Seat Alhambra and the Volkswagen Sharan are virtually identical so the choice comes down to badge and price. Either way, if maximum interior space combined with maximum fuel economy is what you're seeking in a reliable family car, you won't go wrong. With sliding doors for easy access inside, they boast a removal van-like capacity of storage with a maximum of 2,Custom Rubber Bracelets and silicone bracelet,297 litres.

As Coal Boosts Mozambique

When Augusto Conselho Chachoka and his neighbors heard that the world's biggest coal mine was to be built on their land, a tantalizing new future floated before them. Instead of scraping by as subsistence farmers, they would earn wages as miners, they thought. The mining company would build them sturdy new houses, it seemed. Finally, a slice of the wealth that has propelled Mozambique from its war-addled past to its newfound status as one of the world's fastest-growing economies would be theirs.

Instead, they ended up being moved 25 miles away from the mine, living in crumbling, leaky houses, farming barren plots of land, far from any kind of jobs that the mine might create and farther than ever from Mozambique's growth miracle.

"Development is coming, but the development is going to certain areas and certain people," Mr. Chachoka said, taking a break from trying to coax enough food from his scraggly field to feed his six children.

Mozambique is one of the poorest nations in the world, broken by a brutal colonial legacy, a 16-year civil war and failed experiments with Marxist economic policy. But it is also one of the so-called African Lions: countries that are growing at well above 6 percent annually, even amid the global downturn.

Mozambique is poised for a long economic boom, driven by its vast deposits of coal and natural gas. Vale, the Brazilian mining company, is planning to invest $6 billion in its coal operation near here, and other coal giants like Rio Tinto will soon begin producing coal in the Tete region of northern Mozambique.

Gas projects could bring in far more, as much as $70 billion, according to World Bank estimates. Mozambique's location on Africa's southeastern coast means it is perfectly positioned to feed hungry markets in southern and eastern Asia. These investments mean that income from natural resources could easily outstrip the outsized contribution foreign aid makes to its $5 billion annual budget.

The country has been growing at a rapid clip for the past two decades, in fact, since the end of its brutal civil war. Yet, after a substantial drop in the first postwar decade,Chances are, you've never setup a real time Location system. gains against poverty have slowed substantially, analysts say, leaving millions stuck below the poverty line and raising tough questions about whether Africa's resource boom can effectively raise the standard of living of its people.

"You get these rich countries with poor people," said the economist Joseph Stiglitz, who recently visited Mozambique and has written on the struggle of resource-rich countries to develop. "You have all this money flowing in, but you don't have real job creation and you don't have sustained growth."

It is a problem in resource-rich countries across Africa. In a largely upbeat assessment of Africa's growth prospects, the World Bank said in October that rapidly growing economies powered by oil, gas and minerals have seen poverty levels fall more slowly than countries without those resources.

In some nations, like Gabon and Angola, the percentage of people living in extreme poverty has even increased as growth has spiked.

Most of Mozambique's people live in rural areas,A new Lamp shade is a quick and easy way to bring a fresh look to your home. and almost all of them depend on farming. Since commercial farming scarcely exists -- 99 percent of farmers are smallholders -- this means small-scale, family-based agriculture is the main, and in many cases the only, source of income for the vast majority of Mozambicans.

But the new gas and coal deals are wrapped up in multibillion-dollar megaprojects that rarely create large numbers of jobs or foster local entrepreneurship, according to an analysis by the United States Agency for International Development.

"The effects of megaprojects on living standards were found to be very modest," the report said. "These projects,Offering lowest priced printed lanyard in Canada. over all, have created few jobs. And linkages to the public budget via tax revenues have also been small because of tax exemptions."

The plight of the people of this tiny, new village helps illustrate why Mozambique's rural poor have been left behind. Far from the centers of economic power, dependent on rain-fed agriculture and ignored by the government, the rural poor languish even as the country surges.You'll be able to spot your bag from a mile away with these elegant and colorful leather luggage tag.

The coal deposits in Moatize represent one of the biggest untapped reserves in the world, and the Brazilian mining company Vale has placed a big bet on it. But to get to the coal, hundreds of villagers living atop it had to be moved. The company held a series of meetings with community members and government officials, laying out its plans to build tidy new bungalows for each family and upgrade public services. As the prospect of huge new investments in their rural corner of the world beckoned, villagers anticipated a whole new life: jobs, houses, education, and even free food.

Things didn't work out that way. The houses were poorly built and leaked when it rained. The promised water taps and electricity never arrived. Cateme is too far from the mine for anyone here to get a job there. The new fields are dusty and barren -- coaxing anything from them is hard.

Before he moved, Mr. Chachoka made a tidy living. He had a small vegetable patch, his wife made bricks from mud to sell in a nearby town, and he could pick up occasional work as a laborer.

Mr. Chachoka's move from peri-urban striver who salted away extra cash to struggling rural farmer who can barely feed his family is emblematic of a problem facing Mozambique and many other resource-rich but still deeply poor nations. Strong economic growth almost completely bypasses the rural poor, and in some ways can leave them even worse off. "The rich get richer and the poor get poorer," Mr. Chachoka said. "That is what is happening here."

Some resource-rich countries in Africa have managed to turn mineral wealth into broad-based development.Promotional custom keychain at ePromos Promotional Products. Ghana, which recently discovered oil, has won praise for its careful planning for poverty alleviation. Botswana's diamonds have turned what was one of the world's most impoverished nations into a middle-income country. Mozambique says it hopes to do the same, striking a balance between exploiting its mineral wealth and improving rural farming so that all Mozambicans benefit.

"We are very optimistic," said Abdul Razak, deputy minister of mines and the man in charge of bringing Mozambique into compliance with international standards for transparency. "The level of poverty is going to be lower and the level of well-being is going to be higher."

The government has signed up to be part of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, a program set up by Britain and supported by the World Bank to ensure that governments and companies are honest about revenues. The government also says it plans to invest the proceeds of mining into antipoverty programs and to help rural farmers.

But Mozambique's experience also shows how hard it will be to get there. Even after two decades of strong growth, the country remains near dead last on the Human Development Index, just above Burundi, Niger and the Democratic Republic of Congo. By some measures, median income has actually shrunk, not grown, since its boom began.

The events that unfolded in Cateme explain why this is the case. Earlier this year, the people of Cateme sent a letter to local government officials and Vale demanding that their complaints about the resettlement process be addressed, threatening to block the railway line that passes through their village carrying coal to the port. When they received no reply, they occupied the rail line. The police descended upon them, chasing them away and roughing up those who resisted removal.

Belsano violin craftsman brings family

This is because Gordon is in the business of violin making - a functional art form for which pieces made in the 16th- and 17th-centuries by Gasparo da Salo, Andrea Amati and Antonio Stradivari still sell for millions of dollars in modern auctions.

Using the molds of some of these great makers' most famous pieces and fashioning his instruments using modest hand tools, Gordon works daily in his home studio and sells his pieces both locally and throughout the nation. He works to carve a name for himself with his craft, unabashed by the more than 400 years of tradition that came before him.

"Stradivari, his golden period started when he was 57 years old," Gordon said. "I'm 57, so I'm pretending this is going to be my golden period."

Gordon made his first violin when he was 13 years old under the guidance of his father, Robert Gordon Jr., a maker with multiple awards and more than 180 pieces to his name at age 82.

"I wouldn't be doing it without the inspiration of my father," Gordon III said. "He was a factory worker, and came home every night and worked in the back of the house, where he had a little room. He set a tremendous example of the will to make. A lot of his instruments today other makers really like because he never came from a school that said you have to do it this way. His were coming right out of the creative spirit he had."

Gordon III apprenticed under Vahakn Nigogosian in the early 1990s, but also fell into repair and restoration work. He and his father opened a repair shop in Pleasantville in 1988, then Gordon III opened another in Indiana in 2006. Gordon III shut down the Indiana operation just three years ago in order to have more time to focus on making violins. He now only works with previous repair clients in the hope that he can go from making two instruments a year to two a month.

"I've got 30 under my belt," he said. " I have to make that transition or else I'll just be another guy out there lost in the violin making world."

Wood and mold selection are the most important contributions to a violin's tone and quality, Gordon III said. He uses maple for the necks, backs and sides of his instruments, and imports red spruce from Canada for the top wood.

And though he said that Stradivari himself would probably use electricity if he was alive and working today, Gordon III still chooses to carve his wood by hand.

"I think that by using a [finger] plane and using a gauge, you can feel the quality of the wood much better than using a sander or anything of that nature," Gordon III said. "Anything power tools takes away from the sound. I like to hear the crispness of the wood."

Gordon III's craftsmanship and attention to detail has not gone unnoticed by buyers.

Julie Gilchrist, who has been a violinist with the Johnstown Symphony for more than 35 years, bought one of his violins in 2004.

She said it continues to look and sound beautiful, from the scroll to the chin rest.

"The love that he puts into his instruments, you can see why they're so wonderful," she said. "I feel that there has not be a Strad out there that's as good as she is."

Gordon III said musicians are usually most concerned with tone when it comes to purchasing a violin, but collectors are also focused on condition and beauty.

This fact has led Gordon III to adapt various "tedious" varnishing processes, as well as "antiquing" his pieces to make them look old and worn.

"What we're dealing with is functional art," Gordon III said. "You can't just make something that looks good. If it doesn't play, nobody cares. ... You're caught in a world where you at least have to make it presentable. Then the idea is to make the tone be exceptional. That's what I try to do."

He said his instruments are sold for an average of $8,000. Though it's better than the millions one might have to pay for a good antique, he acknowledged that it's also a little pricey for anyone just learning the instrument or playing as a hobby.

"But that's nothing to spend for a violin if you're going to make your living all your life off something," he said. "That's the idea behind owning a violin, is having it all your life. You're just renting it, basically. Then, when you die, it goes to somebody else."

To help "advance the art" of violin playing and making for future generations, Gordon III also donates his time and expertise by doing repairs for surrounding school districts.

Julianne Laird, the junior high school orchestra teacher and third grade violin instructor for the Indiana Area School District, said she couldn't offer the opportunities she does without his help - including allowing every third grade student in the district to take a violin class.

"It helps out tremendously because we have only a certain amount of money we can spend on repairs," Laird said. "With Robert's assistance, we can purchase parts and rely on him to do the repairs. ... He has made a complete difference in the life of every kid who comes through the school district in the third grade."

Emotions on a razor's edge as jockeys ply trade

THEY'RE about to jump in the second at Caulfield, and the jockeys' room is already a passing parade of small men with bright clothes and colourful language. For the rest of this spring Saturday afternoon, it will bustle with the activity of stripping, dressing, weighing and wise-cracking, fall quiet as they repair to their dangerous work, then bubble again on their return.

''You sit in here all day, you have a ball,'' says Chris Symons, the self-confessed clown who on this day is the butt of every passing joke, thanks to the plaster encasing his left foot, broken when it found its way under fellow rider Tom Sadler's tyre three weeks ago in the Sale car park. ''You couldn't have a camera in here,'' Symons adds. ''It can be a bit rude, crude and outrageous.''

It can be brow-furrowingly serious, too. James McDonald is camped in front of locker 58, normally occupied by Symons, who is happy to cede his spot, but has ''seen people get emotional'' over their preferred place.

McDonald, a fast-rising 20-year-old from New Zealand, has five rides and is ready for the first of them with an hour to spare. His ''game face'' is already on as he flexes his whip, then watches race two on a television, bouncing from foot to foot, up on his toes, throwing air punches out in front of his chest. He's almost embarrassed to be asked. ''It's just warming up.''

For fellow Kiwi Daniel Stackhouse, the day is already over. He's already had a shower and is suited, tied and about to head for home as Dom Tourneur drops his bag in front of locker 66. Tourneur's one ride - on Alcopop in the Caulfield Stakes - is more than an hour away; by then, Stackhouse will be home having a nap.

''I rode in the last race [at Cranbourne] last night, got home at 11.30, wound down, scrubbed my gear,'' Stackhouse says. ''I was up at 3.15 this morning for trackwork.'' His Guineas day starts and ends with a ride on 200-1 shot Verification, which trails the field home in the first.

Just along from Tourneur sits the other end of the spectrum. Craig Williams has rides in eight of the nine races, and the calm, organised demeanour of someone who fits Symons' description of him as ''the most professional bloke in here''. It helps that he can pay someone to do what for most in the room is the time-consuming grind of their daily riding ritual. Where the vast majority unzip their work bags to unpack breastplates, girths, surcingle, saddles, helmets, vests, boots, cleaning gear and all the other bits and pieces that help bring man and horse together on the track, Williams has Vincent Mills, jockeys' valet, to do it for him.

''I keep all their gear - a full set of saddles, everything,'' says Mills, 70, from his aluminium bench, where his work for Williams and Kerrin McEvoy (and Damien Oliver if he was riding) is meticulously laid out and ready for collection. ''Tonight I take that home, launder it, make sure everything's right, and on Wednesday it'll be back here, and when they walk in it's all set up, ready to go.''

Pinned to the wall is a newspaper formguide on which Mills has marked the weights for his men for each race. If all three are riding he can be juggling 30 saddles, which baffles some. ''It's like the line out of the bible: 'I know my sheep and my sheep know me'. You just know whose gear it is.''

The neat-as-a-pin state of the room gradually dips as the day wears on, but nothing like it would on a wet afternoon. ''If it was raining, there'd be mud and shit everywhere in here,'' Symons says. As Williams brushes up on form he has already spent much of Friday studying, Symons says there is no jealousy from those who can't afford such luxury assistance. The regular-guy jockeys like Tourneur, who sits along from Williams shining his boots and spraying Mr Sheen on his saddle.

Like any work place there is a pecking order, and Tourneur is glad he's ''a relaxed sort of bloke'' who can fly in from Adelaide on a Saturday morning, land among the big names of his craft and not feel intimidated. ''For an out-of-towner, the first time you come here it can be a bit eerie,'' he says, admitting he's seen many who don't assimilate so easily. ''You see them come in, basically looking like little lost sheep. For some people the moment can get the better of them. You've got to find your own way, how to handle it.''

Steven King, a soon-to-turn 43-year-old veteran, remembers Greg Hall and Pat Hyland being the noise-makers when he started out, and has seen the dynamic change over the years. ''They seem to be a bit more confident now,'' he says of younger riders. ''Maybe that's just the way of the world.''

There are plenty of options should a jockey want a place to hide. Entry to the main room is through a basic lounge, where those with gaps between rides can be found reclining in front of televisions, their trade playing out around the country. Some courses have a room with bunks to grab 40 winks; all have a masseur to repair tired muscles.

Off to McDonald's right the carpet gives way to tiles where a regular path is beaten to and from the spa, showers and sauna, the latter monitored by registered nurse Debbie Hansen. You're as likely to see a man naked as clothed in the jockeys' room, but Hansen is oblivious, propped on a chair next to the basin, crocheting and embroidering a Christmas quilt.

As King reclines in the spa reading a racebook, she explains her job as monitor of sauna visits, which are limited to 15 minutes per jockey per hour (in which they can lose between 300 and 500 grams).

''They sign in, sign out, and if anything does happen to them I look after them,'' she says, as an alarm sounds to alert her that it's time to get Brenton Avdulla out.

For those who can eat, there's a kitchen (empty each time The Age passes by), with salads, cold meats and a bain marie containing a slab of lasagne, untouched bar one missing serve, which Tourneur is happy to claim. ''I'm riding 59 kilos today, generally I ride 54, so we had a little bit of spare room.''

There is another empty room on Guineas day, just off the lounge with ''Lady Jockeys'' quaintly penned on the door. No women are riding this day, and its eight lockers are empty, scales untouched, and TV playing to nobody. Michelle Payne's appearance in the lounge, dressed to the nines and popping in to say hello to her workmates, adds a rare touch.

KSRTC rides high on tech route

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), over the years, has become tech-savvy and has come up with a variety of options for its customers to book tickets. Passengers can avoid going to ticket counters and wait in long queues for their turn as tickets can now be booked on the phone or online.

E-tickets/M-tickets: Booking for KSRTC services can be made by registered user through internet. A registered user is given a user name and password after filling an e-form giving personal details. Online tickets can be booked 24/7. Payments for tickets will have to be made through credit card/debit card/online banking.

A passenger booking tickets will have to log on to KSRTC website and proceed through the link provided for Advance Booking. The passenger can select the seats in a service of his choice based on availability. During the booking process, the passenger will have to select ‘Identity Type’ for confirming his identity during the journey. He can select from any of the photo identity cards, i.e., passport/driving licence/voter ID card/PAN card/ration card. The passenger travelling with e-ticket/m-ticket should carry any one of these photo identity cards during the journey.

Before confirming the booking, the passenger will have to give payment details like ‘Credit Card/Debit card/Online Banking’ for accepting payment by the payment gateway. The booking will be confirmed after the financial gateway approves the transaction. At this stage, a PNR number is generated for that ticket and the passenger can print the e-ticket on plain paper for acknowledgement and it will be valid for the journey. An m-ticket will also be sent to passenger during e-booking/m-booking through SMS and will be valid for the journey.

Tickets booked through e-booking/m-booking can be cancelled online only till the booking closes for the service or till the time allowed as per cancellation slab, whichever is earlier. Cancellation is allowed online only if they login with the same user ID used for booking the ticket. In respect of cancellations, refunds applicable will be made to the concerned credit/debit card/online banking account only.

E-ticket should be cancelled by user himself. E-mail requests for cancellations are considered. Such requests will be considered only when the ‘Awatar’ application is not functioning. Cancellation of e-tickets after stopping of advance booking for a service is also not allowed. If the service is cancelled by KSRTC (or other STUs) for operational reasons, refund will be made to the concerned card/online banking account only.

Discounts are allowed for all tickets booked on internet. Senior citizen concession of 25% is allowed for residents of Karnataka up to Rajahamsa class of services. To avail concession, any one of the following ID proof has to be produced at the time of journey - senior citizen card issued by KSRTC, identification card issued by the Physically Challenged and Senior Citizens Welfare Directorate, driving licence, voter ID, passport, PAN card issued by the concerned authority. To avail this discount, only one seat should be booked in a transaction.

KSRTC has gone one step ahead to reach its passengers by introducing web-based mobile booking application. Now KSRTC has become the first state-run transport organization to introduce URL-based mobile booking application. There is no need to download or request any additional application to book the tickets from the mobile. Just access the URL "ksrtc.in/mobile" from a GPRS-enabled mobile and book your ticket within minutes. The registration for both e-booking and mobile user is one time, and the user need not register again to book or cancel the ticket through mobile. Passengers can also cancel their e-tickets through mobiles. All the terms and conditions of e-booking are applicable to mobile booking.

Technology can bring frustration

Unless one chooses the lifestyle of a hermit, it is nearly impossible to avoid the long arm of automation in this modern world. We've come to depend upon the automated machine to give us cash, wash our cars, clean our pools, serve as a quick way to buy things at the grocery store, answer our inquiries on the phone, and on and on.

There is no question that advances in this field of technology have made our daily lives function much smoother. However, with new developments in automation comes the potential for a new set of frustrations, especially when things don't operate as they should. For these moments, I offer a few rules.

Let's start with that annoying automated voice response that so many businesses use. Since I am not the hermit type, I am resolved that I must learn to deal with it, even if it means that I will never speak to a real person again should I need to use the phone to place an order, make a complaint, renew a membership or just plain obtain information.

I find it infuriating to have to converse with an automated voice as he, she or it recites a list of options from which I must select in order to proceed. I admit there are times that I feel ashamed for interrupting and being so rude to that overly pleasant, faux human phone voice on the other end. To avoid such guilt, I am establishing a rule that all such phone calls must offer at the very start the option for the caller to choose to speak directly to a human representative.

Automated teller machines, better known as ATMs, have been with us a long time, and so have improved tremendously over the years. It is the ATM user who has not advanced. My sister Jan suggested that a rule be enforced for folks who stand before an ATM machine but cannot remember their security code, thus creating a line behind them that looms larger and larger. The person with the temporary memory loss is to step aside and go to the back of the line.

A related rule is for those who opt to use an automated video vending machine such as those provided by Red Box or Blockbuster. They must have the movies desired in mind before attempting to rent a video. If the film is not available, the consumer must step aside and let the next person have a go at it.

Parking machines need to be standardized so that wherever I park, I do not need to learn a whole new system to obtain a parking pass. And speaking of a standardized system, let's establish some universal way for credit card machines to function. Do I swipe or don't swipe, sign or don't sign, press "enter" or "clear," use the stylus or my finger?

Devops for DNS

Back in the day when virtualization and cloud were just making waves, one of the first challenges made obvious was managing IP addresses. As VM density increased, there were more IP network management tasks that had to be handled – from distributing and assigning IP addresses to VLAN configuration to DNS entries.

All this had to be done manually. It was recognized there was a growing gap between the ability of operations to handle the volatility in the IP network due to virtualization and cloud, but very little was done to address it. One of the forerunners of automation in the IP management space was Infoblox. Only we didn't call it "automation" then, we called it "Infrastructure 2.0".

After initially focusing on managing the internal volatility in the IP network, the increase in architectures adopting a hyper-hybrid cloud model are turning that focus outward, toward the need to more efficiently manage the global IP network space.

The global IP network space, too, has volatility and may in fact require more flexibility as organizations seek to leverage cloud bursting and balancing architectures to assure availability and performance to its end-users.

One of the requisites of a highly available global-spanning architecture is the deployment of multiple global server load balancing (GSLB) solutions such as BIG-IP Global Traffic Manager (GTM). To assure availability a la disaster recovery/business continuity initiatives, it is imperative to deploy what are essentially redundant yet independently operating global load balancing devices.

This distribution means multiple, remote devices that must be managed and, just as importantly, that must tie into global IP address management frameworks.

Most of this today is not automated; organizations advancing their devops initiatives may have already begun to embrace this demesne and automate using available tooling such as scripting and device APIs, but for the most part organizations have not yet focused on this problem (having quite a bit of work to do internal in the first place). This is integration work, it's management work, it's a job for devops – and it's an important one.

The ability to integrate and seamlessly manage hyper-hybrid architectures is paramount to enabling federated cloud ecosystems in which organizations can move about as demand and costs require without requiring labor-intensive activity on the part of operations.

Automating and centralizing a federated ecosystem at the global IP network layer is a transformational shift on par with the impact of the steam train in the US's old west. The impact of faster and further was profound and enabled expansion of population and business alike. Federation enabled by the appropriate toolsets and processes will provide similar benefits, enabling business and IT to expand and improve its services to its end-users by leaps and bounds, without incurring the costs or risks of a disconnected set of remotely deployed resources.

F5 and Infoblox have enabled exactly this type of solution comprising integration of F5 GTM via our iControl API with Infoblox Load Balancer Manager (LBM). The solution merges appliance-based DNS, DHCP, and IP address management with a network of standalone BIG-IP GTM devices to create a single management grid. With lots of devops goodness like changing and synchronizing configuration in a hyper-hybrid (or just highly distributed) environment, the integrated solution is an enabler of broader more dynamic and distributed architectures. It enables the automation of tasks without scripting, assures a consistent workflow with pre-configured "best practices" for DNS management, as well as automating daily operational tasks such as synchronizing updates and checking on status.