Operations | Monitoring | ITSM | DevOps | Cloud

September 2020

NoSQL databases: what is MongoDB and its use cases?

Databases like MongoDB, a NoSQL document database, are commonly used in environments where flexibility is required with big, unstructured data with ever-changing schemas. This post explains what a NoSQL database is, and provides an overview of MongoDB, its use cases and a solution for running an open source MongoDB database at scale.

Security corner: snap interface & snap connections

One of the defining features of snaps is their strong security. Snaps are designed to run isolated from the underlying system, with granular control and access to specific resources made possible through a mechanism of interfaces. Think of it as a virtual USB cable – an interface connects a plug with a slot. Security and privacy conscious users will certainly be interested in knowing more about their snaps – what they can do and which resources they need at runtime.

An Introduction to Testing Robot Code

The myriad of different fields that make up robotics makes QA practices difficult to settle on. Field testing is the go-to, since a functioning robot is often proof enough that a system is working. But online tests are slow. The physical environment must be set up. The entire system has to be in a workable state. Multiple runs are needed to build confidence. This grinds development to a halt.

The State of Robotics - August 2020

So that’s the summer gone (hopefully, that heat was awful). Or winter if that’s where you are. Seasons change and so does the state of robotics. Fortunately, that’s what we’re here for. Before we get into it, as ever, If you’re working on any robotics projects that you’d like us to talk about, be sure to get in touch.

How Canonical remotely delivers and supports customer cloud deployments

The widespread shift to remote working in response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been a disruptive change for countless businesses; some 13% of organisations say they have faced major disruption. But at Canonical, remote working has long been the status quo for many of our teams. In spite of the challenging circumstances in which we all find ourselves, Canonical has been able to continue to operate and support our customers despite their working practices undergoing significant changes.

Tutorial: Getting Started with ROS

ROS, the Robot Operating System, is the platform of choice for robot development. However, the breadth and depth of existing documentation can be daunting for the ROS beginner. Where should you start learning about ROS 2 on Ubuntu? All robots based on ROS and ROS 2 are programmed using five simple but core constructs: In this tutorial and associated video we’ll introduce these concepts with simulated robots.