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SAS Institute Inc. operates as a business analytics software and service company. The Company provides software applications including business intelligence, data integration, fraud management, financial intelligence, and IT management. SAS Institute operates worldwide.

SAS is an s a powerful analytics platform that allows users to perform complex data analysis and modeling tasks. To ensure high levels of performance and scalability, SAS offers a three-tier architecture that separates the different components of the system onto separate servers. This architecture allows for the metadata, data processing, and user interface layers to be installed on different servers for improved performance and scalability. In this article, we will discuss the steps to install a SAS three-tier architecture on an . AWS environment Provisioning EC2 Instances The first step in setting up a SAS three-tier architecture on AWS is to provision three EC2 instances. One instance will be used for the SAS Metadata Server, the second for the SAS Workspace Server, and the third for the SAS Stored Process Server. The size of the instances will depend on the size of your data and the expected load on your system. Here is an example Terraform code to provision three EC2 instances: provider "aws" { region = "us-east-1" } resource "aws_instance" "metadata_server" { ami           = "ami-0c94855ba95c71c99" instance_type = "t2.micro" tags = { Name = "metadata-server" } } resource "aws_instance" "workspace_server" { ami           = "ami-0c94855ba95c71c99" instance_type = "t2.micro" tags = { Name = "workspace-server" } } resource "aws_instance" "stored_process_server" { ami           = "ami-0c94855ba95c71c99" instance_type = "t2.micro" tags = { Name = "stored-process-server" } } Above code, we are using the AWS provider to set the region to us-east-1. We then define three aws_instance resources: metadata_server, workspace_server, and stored_process_server. Each instance has a specified Amazon Machine Image (AMI) and instance type and is tagged with a name for easy identification. Terraform Note that this is a basic example and you may need to modify the code to suit your specific requirements, such as adding additional configuration options, security settings, or networking components. Installing and Configuring the Required Software After provisioning the EC2 instances, the necessary software components need to be installed and configured on each of the instances. This includes installing the operating system, , database software, and SAS software. The specific versions of the software will depend on the version of SAS you are using and the requirements of your organization. Java Runtime Environment (JRE) Here is an example Ansible playbook for installing Java Runtime Environment (JRE), database software, and SAS software (SAS Preferred to installing GUI): name: Install JRE, Database Software, and SAS Software hosts: all become: true vars: java_version: "1.8.0" database_type: "oracle" database_version: "12c" sas_version: "9.4" tasks: name: Install JRE yum: name: "java-{{ java_version }}-openjdk" state: present name: Install {{ database_type }} Database Software yum: name: "{{ database_type }}{{ database_version }}" state: present name: Download SAS Software get_url: url: "https://example.com/sas/{{ sas_version }}/sas_{{ sas_version }}.tar.gz" dest: "/tmp/sas_{{ sas_version }}.tar.gz" name: Extract SAS Software unarchive: src: "/tmp/sas_{{ sas_version }}.tar.gz" dest: "/opt/sas" remote_src: true owner: sas group: sas name: Install SAS Software shell: "/opt/sas/setup.sh -deploy" args: chdir: "/opt/sas/install_data" Setting up the Metadata Server The SAS Metadata Server manages all metadata and user credentials for the SAS environment. Install and configure the SAS Metadata Server on the first EC2 instance. During the installation, you will need to specify the database and the location of the metadata repository. After the installation is complete, configure the metadata server using the SAS Management Console. Setting up the Workspace Server The SAS Workspace Server provides a connection point for SAS clients to execute SAS code and interact with data. Install and configure the SAS Workspace Server on the second EC2 instance. During the installation, you will need to specify the metadata server and the location of the workspace server data. After the installation is complete, configure the workspace server using the SAS Management Console. Setting up the Stored Process Server The SAS Stored Process Server provides a connection point for external applications to execute SAS programs and retrieve results. Install and configure the SAS Stored Process Server on the third EC2 instance. During the installation, you will need to specify the metadata server and the location of the stored process server data. After the installation is complete, configure the stored process server using the SAS Management Console. Configuring Network Settings After installing and configuring all the necessary components, network settings need to be configured to ensure that the three EC2 instances can communicate with each other. Firewall settings, security groups, and network interfaces need to be configured to allow communication between the three servers. It is important to follow best practices for securing your SAS environment on AWS. Testing the Installation Once all the components have been installed and configured, the SAS installation needs to be tested. Connect to the SAS Workspace Server using a SAS client application and run SAS programs on the Stored Process Server to verify that the results are returned correctly. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can install and configure a SAS three-tier architecture on AWS and achieve high levels of performance and scalability for your SAS environment. It is important to follow best practices for securing your SAS environment on AWS and to seek the assistance of a SAS expert if needed. Monitoring  a SAS Three-Tier Architecture using CloudWatch, and Splunk: CloudWatch Monitoring Amazon is a monitoring service for AWS resources and the applications running on them. You can use CloudWatch to collect and track metrics, collect and monitor log files, and set alarms. To monitor a SAS Three-Tier Architecture using , you can use the following steps: CloudWatch CloudWatch Enable CloudWatch logging for each EC2 instance running the SAS Metadata Server, SAS Workspace Server, and SAS Stored Process Server. This will allow CloudWatch to collect log data from each instance. Create CloudWatch alarms to monitor specific metrics for each instance. For example, you can create alarms to monitor CPU usage, memory usage, and disk space usage. Configure CloudWatch dashboards to provide a visual representation of the performance of each instance. This will allow you to easily monitor the performance of the system in real time. Splunk Monitoring is a platform for monitoring, searching, analyzing, and visualizing machine-generated data. You can use Splunk to monitor logs, metrics, and other data generated by the SAS Three-Tier Architecture. To monitor a SAS Three-Tier Architecture using , you can use the following steps: Splunk Splunk Install and configure the Splunk Universal Forwarder on each EC2 instance running the SAS Metadata Server, SAS Workspace Server, and SAS Stored Process Server. This will allow Splunk to collect log data from each instance. Configure Splunk to index the collected log data. Use Splunk to create dashboards and reports that provide insights into the performance of the system. These dashboards and reports can be customized to meet the needs of different stakeholders. Monitoring a SAS Three-Tier Architecture using CloudWatch, and Splunk is essential to ensure that the system is running optimally. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can monitor the performance of the different components of the system and gain insights that can be used to make informed decisions. Lead image . reference References: https://www.sas.com/en_us/home.html https://aws.amazon.com/ https://developer.hashicorp.com/terraform/intro https://www.splunk.com/

Powerful Data Analytics Software:  SAS Three-Tier Architecture Install on AWS Environment 

The SAS (Statistical Analysis System) Response To SQL Challenges in a Data Warehouse Environment

This is 2024; businesses are increasingly reliant on cloud-based resources and remote workforces. This shift necessitates robust security solutions to safeguard sensitive data and access to critical applications. Two prominent technologies addressing these needs are Business and . While VPNs have long been a cornerstone of enterprise security, SASE represents a next-generation approach that builds upon and expands the functionalities of VPNs. VPNs (Virtual Private Networks) SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) This article delves into the rise of business VPNs and SASE, exploring their functionalities, advantages, and limitations. We'll also analyze how SASE is transforming the security landscape and its potential impact on the future of VPNs. The Role of Business VPNs in Secure Access A Business VPN establishes a secure tunnel between a user's device and a corporate network. This encrypted tunnel ensures that all data transmitted between the device and the network remains confidential, even over public Wi-Fi connections. VPNs provide several key benefits for businesses: Business VPNs empower employees to securely access internal resources like file servers, applications, and databases from any location with an internet connection. This facilitates remote work arrangements and enhances business continuity. Remote Access: VPNs significantly reduce the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access by encrypting data traffic. This is particularly important for businesses handling sensitive information. Enhanced Security: Granular access controls can be implemented through VPNs, allowing administrators to restrict access to specific resources based on user roles and permissions. Access Control: While Business VPNs offer a reliable security solution, they come with certain limitations: VPNs can sometimes introduce performance overhead due to the encryption and decryption processes. This can be particularly noticeable for bandwidth-intensive activities. Performance Bottlenecks: Scaling a traditional VPN solution to accommodate a growing workforce or fluctuating network traffic can be complex and resource-intensive. Scalability Challenges: Traditional VPNs are primarily designed for on-premises network access. They may not seamlessly integrate with the growing number of cloud-based applications and services businesses rely on. Limited Cloud Integration: SASE: A Cloud-Centric Approach to Secure Access SASE (Secure Access Service Edge) is a cloud-based security framework that converges various network security functions into a single, unified service.  These functions typically include: ZTNA replaces the traditional "castle-and-moat" security model by continuously verifying user identity and access permissions, regardless of location or device. Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA): A CASB secures access to cloud applications by enforcing access controls, data security policies, and malware detection. Cloud Access Security Broker (CASB): SWG filters web traffic, blocks malicious websites, and prevents malware downloads. Secure Web Gateway (SWG): FWaaS provides next-generation firewall functionality to inspect and filter network traffic for threats. Firewall as a Service (FWaaS): SASE offers compelling advantages over traditional VPNs: SASE eliminates the need for complex VPN setups, simplifying access for remote users and enhancing their experience. Improved User Experience: SASE's cloud-native design and ZTNA approach provide a more robust security posture with continuous user and device verification. Enhanced Security: The cloud-based nature of SASE enables effortless scaling to accommodate growing organizations and evolving security needs. Scalability and Agility: SASE offers a centralized platform for managing all network security functions, streamlining security operations and reducing administrative overhead. Unified Management: SASE integrates seamlessly with cloud applications and services, providing holistic security for the modern, cloud-centric enterprise. Comprehensive Cloud Security: However, SASE implementation requires careful consideration: Reliance on a single SASE vendor can lead to vendor lock-in, potentially limiting flexibility and increasing costs. Vendor Lock-In: Integrating SASE with existing security infrastructure can be complex and require specialized expertise. Integration Complexity: The Evolving Landscape: VPNs vs. SASE While VPNs have served businesses well for many years, SASE represents a paradigm shift towards a more comprehensive and adaptable security model. Here's a breakdown of their key differences: Feature Business VPN SASE Deployment Model Primarily on-premises Cloud-based Security Approach Perimeter-based Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) User Experience Requires manual configuration Simplified, centralized access Scalability It can be complex to scale Effortless scaling Cloud Integration Limited Seamless integration Management Decentralized Centralized When to Choose a Business VPN vs SASE The decision between a Business VPN and SASE hinges on several factors specific to your organization's needs: A Business VPN may suffice if your primary concern is securing access to on-premises resources. However, for a more robust security posture with ZTNA and comprehensive cloud application protection, SASE is a clear choice. Security Requirements: Businesses heavily reliant on cloud applications and services will benefit tremendously from SASE's seamless cloud integration. A VPN might be adequate for now if on-premises resources remain your primary focus. Cloud Adoption: Implementing and managing SASE requires some expertise in cloud security. If your IT team lacks the necessary resources, a Business VPN might be a more manageable option in the short term. IT Resources: Businesses anticipating significant growth or fluctuating network traffic should prioritize SASE's effortless scaling capabilities. A VPN might be sufficient for a static network environment. Scalability Needs: Here's a table summarizing the ideal use cases for each technology: Use Case Ideal Solution Secure remote access to on-premises resources Business VPN Access control for cloud applications and services SASE Secure branch office connectivity Business VPN (with potential migration to SASE in the future) Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) implementation SASE Simplified security management for geographically dispersed teams SASE drive_spreadsheetExport to Sheets The Future of Business VPNs and SASE While SASE represents the future of secure access, Business VPNs are not likely to disappear entirely. Here's a glimpse into what the future holds: Many businesses will likely adopt a hybrid approach, leveraging Business VPNs for specific use cases while implementing SASE for broader cloud-centric security. Hybrid Approach: Traditional VPN providers are likely to enhance their offerings to better integrate with cloud environments and offer improved performance. VPN Enhancements: As cloud adoption continues to accelerate, SASE is poised for widespread adoption across businesses of all sizes. The growing focus on zero-trust security principles will further fuel this trend. SASE Adoption: Conclusion In conclusion, Business VPNs and SASE are crucial in securing today's evolving enterprise landscape. Understanding their strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases empowers businesses to make informed decisions about their security architecture. As the digital landscape shifts towards the cloud, SASE is expected to become the dominant security solution for the modern, globalized workforce. By proactively adopting cloud-based security solutions like SASE, businesses can ensure they have the agility and scalability necessary to thrive in the ever-changing digital age.

The Rise of Business VPNs and SASE: Securing the Evolving Enterprise Landscape

Syntactically Awesome Style Sheets, or SASS for short, is a preprocessor for . It claims to be the most mature, stable, and powerful professional-grade CSS extension language in the world. It was initially designed by and developed by in 2016. CSS Hampton Catlin Natalie Weizenbaum But what does it mean to be a CSS preprocessor? According to MDN, a CSS preprocessor is a program that lets you generate CSS from the preprocessor's own unique syntax. There are several CSS preprocessors available. Some of which include - SASS LESS Stylus Now coming to SASS, it is the most popular CSS preprocessor. It is also used by Bootstrap which is undoubtedly one of the most popular and widely used frontend frameworks available out there. It has 14.6k stars on . GitHub Advantages of SASS over CSS CSS is an amazing language, developed in the early days of web, it revolutionized the way websites were designed and styled. It allowed developers to design beautiful and eye-catching websites. But when the web grew older and CSS files became larger and unmaintainable, we felt the need for a more advanced and modular solution and that's why the concept of CSS preprocessors came to life. SASS makes it easier for developers and web designers to style websites more efficiently while keeping it maintainable and modular. Moreover, SASS is fully compatible with CSS. This means that all the features which can be used in CSS, can also be used in SASS. Additionally, SASS has some more features which CSS doesn't have like CSS nesting, mixins and functions. This is a simple CodePen demonstrating SASS Nesting. https://codepen.io/jishnupsamal/pen/MWzbxxN?embedable=true Sass is compiled to CSS as the browser can't parse Sass natively. Sass has another amazing feature called . Partial files are special files in Sass that start with an underscore . These partial files are ignored by the Sass compiler and act like modules. These modules can then be imported into the main Sass file using .  This allows developers to maintain large stylesheets effectively by dividing it into smaller and modular partial Sass files. The main Sass files can be then compiled into a single CSS file to provide styling to the website. partial files (_) @use Sass comes with six built-in modules namely, , , , , and . sass:math sass:color sass:list sass:meta sass:selector sass:string : It contains several maths-related functions like , , , , , , and constants like , and . sass:math ceil floor round log sqrt sin tan pi e epsilon : It contains various functions to manipulate colours like , , , and many more. sass:color scale adjust invert lighten : It contains functions to manipulate lists like , and . sass:list append index length : It contains functions that can help to customize the way Sass works. sass:meta : As the name suggests, it has functions to get details about the css selectors used and manipulate them. sass:selector : It contains functions to manipulate string data type such as , , , , etc. sass:string index insert split to-upper-case Using Sass in JavaScript To use Sass in your project, you need to install the package from NPM. sass npm i -g sass After that, compile the Sass code to CSS using the command below. sass <input.scss> [output.css] Or if you want to watch a file for changes and compile all the changes to CSS immediately, you may use the or flag, as shown below. -w --watch sass <input.scss> -w [output.css] Now, you can use the compiled CSS file in your html file. This is the way to use Sass in Vanilla JS. If you are using any meta framework like Gatsby or Next, for your project, you might not need to compile the Sass file yourself. You can directly use your Sass file because under the hood your meta framework compiles the Sass file for you. For example, if you are using NextJS, you can use Sass directly by making necessary changes to . For more details on this, please refer to the . next.config.js official documentation Syntaxes of Sass You must be wondering, what do I mean by here. And this is not a fancy heading. syntaxes Sass (really) has two syntaxes. The first one is the SCSS syntax, which is similar to CSS. It uses the file extension . .scss .hero {
	display: inline-flex;
	position: relative;
	height: $button-height;
	border: none;
	
	&_img{
		object-fit: fill;
	}
	
	&_heading {
		font-size: 18px;
	}
} The second one is the Sass syntax, and it uses the file extension. It was the original syntax of Sass and, the reason why Sass is called Sass. It uses indentation in place of curly braces, similar to Python (if you are familiar with it) and omits the semicolon . The code above can be written in Sass syntax as shown. .sass ; .hero 
	display: inline-flex
	position: relative
	height: $button-height
	border: none
	
	&_img
		object-fit: fill
	
	
	&_heading 
		font-size: 18px Both syntaxes provide the same features. But generally, the SCSS syntax is preferred as it has CSS-like, and hence, is easier for developers to adapt to this syntax. Conclusion Sass is a great option for designing large and complex systems. It makes the work of a web designer, a piece of cake. But since every tool has its own use case and limitation, similarly, Sass, too, is not profitable in certain uses cases. Like if you have a, really, small project, you may choose not to use Sass as it would take time to install and set up Sass. What do you think about the future of ? Let me know in the comments. Sass Hope you liked my post. Thank you for reading. Originally published at jishnupsamal.me

Why You Should Choose SASS

Poor Folk by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . April 25th April 25th MY DEAREST MAKAR ALEXIEVITCH,—Today I met my cousin Sasha. To see her going to wrack and ruin shocked me terribly. Moreover, it has reached me, through a side wind, that she has been making inquiry for me, and dogging my footsteps, under the pretext that she wishes to pardon me, to forget the past, and to renew our acquaintance. Well, among other things she told me that, whereas you are not a kinsman of mine, that she is my nearest relative; that you have no right whatever to enter into family relations with us; and that it is wrong and shameful for me to be living upon your earnings and charity. Also, she said that I must have forgotten all that she did for me, though thereby she saved both myself and my mother from starvation, and gave us food and drink; that for two and a half years we caused her great loss; and, above all things, that she excused us what we owed her. Even my poor mother she did not spare. Would that she, my dead parent, could know how I am being treated! But God knows all about it.... Also, Anna declared that it was solely through my own fault that my fortunes declined after she had bettered them; that she is in no way responsible for what then happened; and that I have but myself to blame for having been either unable or unwilling to defend my honour. Great God! WHO, then, has been at fault? According to Anna, Hospodin [Mr.] Bwikov was only right when he declined to marry a woman who—But need I say it? It is cruel to hear such lies as hers. What is to become of me I do not know. I tremble and sob and weep. Indeed, even to write this letter has cost me two hours. At least it might have been thought that Anna would have confessed HER share in the past. Yet see what she says!... For the love of God do not be anxious about me, my friend, my only benefactor. Thedora is over apt to exaggerate matters. I am not REALLY ill. I have merely caught a little cold. I caught it last night while I was walking to Bolkovo, to hear Mass sung for my mother. Ah, mother, my poor mother! Could you but rise from the grave and learn what is being done to your daughter! B. D. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Fyodor Dostoyevsky (2000). Poor Folk. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/2302/pg2302-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

Today I met my cousin Sasha

A Short History of the World, by H. G. Wells, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . THE BYZANTINE AND SASSANID EMPIRES THE BYZANTINE AND SASSANID EMPIRES The Greek-speaking eastern half of the Roman Empire showed much more political tenacity than the western half. It weathered the disasters of the fifth century A.D., which saw a complete and final breaking up of the original Latin Roman power. Attila bullied the Emperor Theodosius II and sacked and raided almost to the walls of Constantinople, but that city remained intact. The Nubians came down the Nile and looted Upper Egypt, but Lower Egypt and Alexandria were left still fairly prosperous. Most of Asia Minor was held against the Sassanid Persians. The sixth century, which was an age of complete darkness for the West, saw indeed a considerable revival of the Greek power. Justinian I (527-565) was a ruler of very great ambition and energy, and he was married to the Empress Theodora, a woman of quite equal capacity who had begun life as an actress. Justinian reconquered North Africa from the Vandals and most of Italy from the Goths. He even regained the south of Spain. He did not limit his energies to naval and military enterprises. He founded a university, built the great church of Sta. Sophia in Constantinople and codified the Roman law. But in order to destroy a rival to his university foundation he closed the schools of philosophy in Athens, which had been going on in unbroken continuity from the days of Plato, that is to say for nearly a thousand years. From the third century onwards the Persian Empire had been the steadfast rival of the Byzantine. The two empires kept Asia Minor, Syria and Egypt in a state of perpetual unrest and waste. In the first century A.D., these lands were still at a high level of civilization, wealthy and with an abundant population, but the continual coming and going of armies, massacres, looting and war taxation wore them down steadily until only shattered and ruinous cities remained upon a countryside of scattered peasants. In this melancholy process of impoverishment and disorder lower Egypt fared perhaps less badly than the rest of the world. Alexandria, like Constantinople, continued a dwindling trade between the east and the west. THE CHURCH (NOW A MOSQUE) OF S. SOPHIA, CONSTANTINOPLE The obelisk of Theodosius in in the foreground statue on left Photo: Sebah & Foaillier Science and political philosophy seemed dead now in both these warring and decaying empires. The last philosophers of Athens, until their suppression, preserved the texts of the great literature of the past with an infinite reverence and want of understanding. But there remained no class of men in the world, no free gentlemen with bold and independent habits of thought, to carry on the tradition of frank statement and enquiry embodied in these writings. The social and political chaos accounts largely for the disappearance of this class, but there was also another reason why the human intelligence was sterile and feverish during this age. In both Persia and Byzantium it was all age of intolerance. Both empires were religious empires in a new way, in a way that greatly hampered the free activities of the human mind. THE MAGNIFICENT ROOF-WORK IN S. SOPHIA Photo: Sebah & Foaillier Of course the oldest empires in the world were religious empires, centring upon the worship of a god or of a god-king. Alexander was treated as a divinity and the Cæsars were gods in so much as they had altars and temples devoted to them and the offering of incense was made a test of loyalty to the Roman state. But these older religions were essentially religions of act and fact. They did not invade the mind. If a man offered his sacrifice and bowed to the god, he was left not only to think but to say practically whatever he liked about the affair. But the new sort of religions that had come into the world, and particularly Christianity, turned inward. These new faiths demanded not simply conformity but understanding belief. Naturally fierce controversy ensued upon the exact meaning of the things believed. These new religions were creed religions. The world was confronted with a new word, Orthodoxy, and with a stern resolve to keep not only acts but speech and private thought within the limits of a set teaching. For to hold a wrong opinion, much more to convey it to other people, was no longer regarded as an intellectual defect but a moral fault that might condemn a soul to everlasting destruction. THE RAVENNA PANEL, DEPICTING JUSTINIAN AND HIS COURT Photo: Alinari THE ROCK HEWN TEMPLE AT PETRA Photo: Underwood & Underwood Both Ardashir I who founded the Sassanid dynasty in the third century A.D., and Constantine the Great who reconstructed the Roman Empire in the fourth, turned to religious organizations for help, because in these organizations they saw a new means of using and controlling the wills of men. And already before the end of the fourth century both empires were persecuting free talk and religious innovation. In Persia Ardashir found the ancient Persian religion of Zoroaster (or Zarathushtra) with its priests and temples and a sacred fire that burnt upon its altars, ready for his purpose as a state religion. Before the end of the third century Zoroastrianism was persecuting Christianity, and in 277 A.D. Mani, the founder of a new faith, the Manichæans, was crucified and his body flayed. Constantinople, on its side, was busy hunting out Christian heresies. Manichæan ideas infected Christianity and had to be fought with the fiercest methods; in return ideas from Christianity affected the purity of the Zoroastrian doctrine. All ideas became suspect. Science, which demands before all things the free action of an untroubled mind, suffered a complete eclipse throughout this phase of intolerance. War, the bitterest theology, and the usual vices of mankind constituted Byzantine life of those days. It was picturesque, it was romantic; it had little sweetness or light. When Byzantium and Persia were not fighting the barbarians from the north, they wasted Asia Minor and Syria in dreary and destructive hostilities. Even in close alliance these two empires would have found it a hard task to turn back the barbarians and recover their prosperity. The Turks or Tartars first come into history as the allies first of one power and then of another. In the sixth century the two chief antagonists were Justinian and Chosroes I; in the opening of the seventh the Emperor Heraclius was pitted against Chosroes II (580). At first and until after Heraclius had become Emperor (610) Chosroes II carried all before him. He took Antioch, Damascus and Jerusalem and his armies reached Chalcedon, which is in Asia Minor over against Constantinople. In 619 he conquered Egypt. Then Heraclius pressed a counter attack home and routed a Persian army at Nineveh (627), although at that time there were still Persian troops at Chalcedon. In 628 Chosroes II was deposed and murdered by his son, Kavadh, and an inconclusive peace was made between the two exhausted empires. Byzantium and Persia had fought their last war. But few people as yet dreamt of the storm that was even then gathering in the deserts to put an end for ever to this aimless, chronic struggle. While Heraclius was restoring order in Syria a message reached him. It had been brought in to the imperial outpost at Bostra south of Damascus; it was in Arabic, an obscure Semitic desert language, and it was read to the Emperor, if it reached him at all, by an interpreter. It was from someone who called himself “Muhammad the Prophet of God.” It called upon the Emperor to acknowledge the One True God and to serve him. What the Emperor said is not recorded. A similar message came to Kavadh at Ctesiphon. He was annoyed, tore up the letter, and bade the messenger begone. This Muhammad, it appeared, was a Bedouin leader whose headquarters were in the mean little desert town of Medina. He was preaching a new religion of faith in the One True God. “Even so, O Lord!” he said; “rend thou his Kingdom from Kavadh.” About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. H. G. Wells (2011). A Short History of the World. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022, from https://www.gutenberg.org/files/11870/11870-h/11870-h.htm This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

THE BYZANTINE AND SASSANID EMPIRES

Saša Milić is uniquely placed to compare oracle networks objectively. On top of being a software engineer and data scientist, Saša is also a co-founder of API3. While she no longer works full-time at any network, Saša has worked closely with various oracle projects in the last few years; during her presentation at the Blockchain Oracle Summit, Saša shared “a smattering of hot takes” about some of the more widely used oracle networks in the space today – including Chainlink, UMA, Tellor, Nest and BAND. In this article, we’ll guide you through her presentation, sharing key concepts. https://youtu.be/c0aOAkjzTRA?embedable=true Chainlink Oracle Review The most widely used oracle network today, has a reputation for providing consistently good data. According to DeFi Pulse (at the time of presentation), 15 of the top 20 DeFi protocols by Total Value Locked (TVL) use Chainlink, making the network a cornerstone of the DeFi Ecosystem. Chainlink Chainlink works through a decentralized network of nodes that collect data from reliable sources and aggregate the results on-chain. Chainlink refers to this as “t ” because each oracle network, node operator, and the data source is selected in a decentralized way. hree layers of decentralization According to Chainlink, this in the network. eliminates any single point of failure Chainlink, established in 2017, is well-known for consistently providing reliable price data. Chainlink currently caters to the larger part of the DeFi ecosystem, with a majority of the top DeFi projects using their oracle services. Some projects using Chainlink price feeds include , , and . Aave Compound Synthetix Out of all the oracle projects currently on the market, Chainlink seems to be investing the most in cryptography research. According to Saša, almost half of the team at are qualified cryptographers. Chainlink has also integrated two Cornell projects, and . Town Crier is a system that connects smart contracts to external data from trusted websites while also ensuring the confidentiality of the data. Chainlink Labs Town Crier DECO DECO uses zero-knowledge proofs to verify off-chain data while maintaining full data privacy. Chainlink’s whitepapers were also co-authored by well-known cryptographer and Cornell Tech professor Ari Juels who is now the Chief Scientist at Chainlink Labs. Since Saša’s talk at BOS22 in June, Chainlink has that staking will be live later this year. Staking will provide the network with more crypto-economic security, as stakers will initially be tasked with identifying and reporting node operators that fail to meet predetermined standards. For more information on LINK staking, read . announced this article UMA Oracle Review At , security is formalized in an economic guarantee around the cost of corrupting an oracle through their Data Verification Mechanism (DVM). The way these economic guarantee works is based on the idea that every oracle has a minimum price needed to become corrupted. In most cases, this is the price needed to take control of 51% of the voting tokens and is called the Cost of Corruption (CoC). UMA On the other side of the CoC is the potential (PfC). This is the maximum amount of money that can be gained from corrupting an oracle. Therefore, if CoC is kept above PfC, there would be no economic incentive for someone to corrupt the oracle. UMA is designed to measure the PfC of all the contracts in their system, then keep CoC above that number through a series of token buybacks triggered when necessary – more information . Profit from Corruption can be found here UMA also employs the concept of the “Optimistic Oracle” based on their . In essence, when a contract requests data – the “requestor” – anyone can propose an answer – the “proposer.” dispute resolution model The proposer needs to post a bond together with their data. Anyone else can verify that data and raise a dispute to UMA’s DVM if the data is incorrect – the disputer. If no one disputes that data within a set amount of time, the proposer’s bond is released back to them, and they are paid a pre-agreed fee. Because disputes are economically incentivized, a lack of disputes can be seen as verification that a piece of data is true. This mechanism is what makes UMA an ‘optimistic’ oracle. Tellor Oracle Review was one of the earlier projects to talk about (OEV). Simply put, OEV is the potential profit a party could earn by being in the position to update the oracle. Similar in principle to Miner Extractable Value (MEV), if only one party is allowed to update an oracle, they would be in a unique position to take advantage of the difference in prices before they make the update. Tellor Oracle Extractable Value For example, if party A has control of the ETH/USD price feed updates on a certain exchange, then that party can make trades before updating the prices since they know which way the price is going. Tellor approached this potential problem by building an oracle protocol that is truly decentralized, allowing anyone to be a data provider. Their protocol takes advantage of OEV as a means of making payments to oracle data providers rather than using gas fees. A more in-depth explanation of OEV can be found in written by Nicholas Fett, CTO of Tellor. this article Tellor has also been integrated as a fallback oracle in the Liquity protocol’s , which is significant given the effort that the team at Liquity has put into oracle research and their top position on the list. dual-oracle system DeFi Safety Conversely, Tellor’s dispute resolution system has a natural paradox. The system works by paying people to dispute incorrect data. If they raise their dispute successfully, they are paid in Tribute (TRB), Tellor’s native token. The presence of disputers, therefore, works to discourage false reports in the first place. However, since disputers profit from reporting faulty data, discouraging false reports would decrease the demand for disputers since no faulty reports mean no one can profit from disputing. This, in turn, leads to no one watching the data to dispute its accuracy, which then creates more opportunities for false reports. This, as Saša notes, is not a problem unique to Tellor but is common in optimistic oracle systems. Nest Oracle Review is currently only used for price feeds, and miners provide the data for these prices. Nest When miners report a price, they have to put up the same amount of money that they are reporting. This means that if they indicate the wrong price, it creates an opportunity for someone to take advantage of the difference between the reported and actual prices to make a profit. Band “Cross-chain data oracle.” According to Saša’s research, has relatively high adoption within DeFi projects. Despite that, there has been only one known exploit of Band, indicating their overall reliability. Band Protocol Band’s are speed and scalability – to process a large number of data requests within seconds; cross-chain compatibility – to be able to serve most of the available blockchains, and data flexibility – to handle different types of data and the different ways they are retrieved. This, according to Saša, is lacking a key area – security. design goals Band also runs a separate blockchain called . This makes it harder to evaluate its security because the security of the oracle is dependent on the overall security of this sidechain – explained here by . Bandchain CoinDesk Additionally, BAND holders do not participate in validation directly on Bandchain. Instead, they delegate their tokens to validators, who run validation nodes and retrieve data from the data sources. In each request, validators are randomly selected to retrieve and verify the data before committing them to the blockchain – more information about their system can be found . Given the vital role that validators play in this system, Saša  is unsure if the low number of validators (67 actives at the time of publication, based on ) here Cosmoscan The Blockchain Oracle Summit was the world’s first conference to focus solely on the importance of oracles and their design. Leading builders and researchers from around the world gathered in Berlin to share their work and discuss challenges faced by a close-knit group of hardcore oracle enthusiasts. To keep up with more of Saša’s hot takes, follow her on . Twitter

Saša Milić Offers Hot-Takes on Chainlink, UMA, Tellor, Nest, and Band Protocol

We are in the midst of building the first version of our API Ops platform. One of the components which we are actively building is a developer console where devs can get an overview of their APIs and each endpoint’s performance. While building our UI, we are debating many of the fundamental front end architecture decisions that will shape our UI development. One of the biggest debates thus far was whether we would use SASS or CSS-In-JS for our styling. We know developers are facing these same questions every day, so we want to publish our thoughts in case they are useful to anyone else. Ultimately, we chose to move forward with CSS-In-JS as our primary styling mechanism for reasons specific to our business; we considered it important for the UIs we build to be easily embeddable within external UIs. We felt that CSS-In-JS was the best option for embeds, because integrators wouldn’t need to worry about dealing with style injection, and could theme our components into their style. We’d love to know your thoughts and how you reached decisions about styling your UI? Have you had any bad experiences with CSS-In-JS? Below is our full internal conversation only minimally edited for brevity:

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