value Archives

Tech Optimizer

February 22, 2025

How Mindbody improved query latency and optimized costs using Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL Optimized Reads

Mindbody utilizes a cloud-based platform for the fitness and wellness industry, offering services such as client booking, scheduling, payments, marketing, and analytics. Their email marketing platform is built on an Aurora PostgreSQL cluster, currently at version 13.8, with a size of approximately 17 TB and a workload distribution of 80% reads and 20% writes. Mindbody faced scaling and performance challenges due to architectural limitations and increasing data demands, leading to all workloads being directed to the writer node. The average BufferCacheHitRatio was below 80%, indicating frequent disk access rather than cache hits, contributing to higher query latencies and I/O costs. To address these issues, Mindbody adopted Aurora Optimized Reads, which enhances caching capacity and improves latency and throughput for I/O-intensive workloads. Transitioning required upgrading the database cluster to version 14.9 or higher, and extensive testing was conducted in a proof-of-concept environment. The upgrade process involved a blue/green deployment strategy to minimize production disruption. After implementing Aurora Optimized Reads, Mindbody experienced significant performance improvements, including a 50% reduction in average daily CPU utilization and a 90% reduction in ReadIOPS. The AuroraOptimizedReadsCacheHitRatio indicated that 85% of read requests were served from the optimized cache. Cost analysis revealed a 23% reduction in monthly Aurora costs post-transition, with potential for further savings by downsizing instances.

Tech Optimizer

February 21, 2025

Self-managed multi-tenant vector search with Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL

Organizations are using generative AI and machine learning tools to extract value from unstructured data, employing specialized machine learning models to convert data into vectors for efficient searching and retrieval. Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition, with the pgvector extension, allows developers to create a vector store for generative AI applications. Multi-tenant architectures in software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications ensure tenant data isolation to maintain security and privacy. In a multi-tenant scenario, home survey requests are processed, and survey reports are stored in Amazon S3. Embedding models convert these documents into vector embeddings, which are stored in a vector store. There are two approaches to building a vector-based application: a self-managed approach, where developers handle data processing and queries, and a fully-managed option using Amazon Bedrock Knowledge Bases. The self-managed approach involves coding to process data, generate vector embeddings, and store them in Aurora. The architecture includes data ingestion via AWS Lambda, embedding conversion, SQL queries for data retrieval, and response enhancement using a large language model (LLM). Key terminologies include vector embeddings, embedding models, chunking, pgvector, HNSW index, and IVFFlat index. The process of creating a vector store involves configuring the Aurora PostgreSQL database, enabling the pgvector extension, and establishing a schema for the vector store. The vector table includes fields for UUID, vector embeddings, text chunks, metadata, and tenant identification. Data ingestion requires coding to convert data into embeddings and insert them into the database. Retrieval of vector data is crucial for enhancing prompts sent to LLMs, with various distance functions supported for identifying similar vectors. Multi-tenancy is enforced using row-level security in PostgreSQL, ensuring tenant data isolation. The process includes updating query functions to support tenant isolation and setting the current tenant ID for queries.

Winsage

February 21, 2025

Windows 11 24H2 RDP hangs on login, RDP session connecting issues reported

Windows 11 has a significant issue affecting Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) sessions during the login phase, potentially linked to the Windows 11 24H2 update or recent security updates KB5050094 and KB5051987. Administrators have reported difficulties in establishing RDP connections since the rollout of the 24H2 update, with issues persisting even when the RDP service is operational and firewall configurations are correct. Users have noted that changing the default RDP port from 3389 may resolve connection issues for some, although this workaround is not universally effective. Additionally, there are reports of RDP sessions hanging during the login process, particularly when reconnecting to previously disconnected sessions. To address the hanging issue, users can modify settings in the Group Policy Editor by enabling the "Select network detection on the server" policy and turning off Connect Time Detect and Continuous Network Detect. A system reboot is not necessary, but executing the gpupdate /force command is recommended. Alternatively, a Windows Registry script can be used to automate the process across multiple devices. As of February 21, Microsoft has not officially acknowledged these network issues, despite their widespread impact on users.

AppWizard

February 21, 2025

Messenger rolls out new safety, useful, and fun features

Meta has updated Messenger with new features focusing on privacy, usability, and enjoyment. Privacy and safety updates include the View Once Media option for single-view media messages, screenshot and screen recording blocks, in-app scam alerts via Spam Protection, and streamlined reporting and blocking of suspicious contacts. Usability improvements consist of HD photo sharing, enhanced HD video calls, noise-suppressed audio for clearer calls, and Siri integration for easier navigation. Expressive features allow users to personalize chats with themes, add music to notes, and use new sticker packs, including the Butterbear stickers. Social features encourage community building through Messenger Communities, enabling topic-based chats via QR codes, and engaging with public figures through Broadcast Channels.

Tech Optimizer

February 21, 2025

Multi-tenant vector search with Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL and Amazon Bedrock Knowledge Bases

The article discusses the implementation of a multi-tenant vector store using Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition and Amazon Bedrock Knowledge Bases. It outlines a scenario where users request home surveys, and surveyors update findings stored in an Amazon S3 bucket. The process involves converting documents into vector embeddings for enhanced natural language queries through the Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) technique. Key steps include: 1. Ingesting data from S3 into Amazon Bedrock Knowledge Bases. 2. Using an embeddings model to convert documents into vector embeddings. 3. Storing vector embeddings, data chunks, and metadata in Aurora with pgvector. 4. Submitting natural language queries that are transformed into embeddings for retrieval from the vector store. 5. Forwarding relevant documents to a large language model for response generation. To set up the vector store, prerequisites include access to an Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-compatible database, Amazon S3 for document storage, and Amazon Bedrock for managing knowledge bases. The article provides SQL commands for creating the necessary schema, vector table, and index in Aurora, as well as instructions for ingesting data and ensuring multi-tenant data isolation through metadata filtering. Best practices for deploying a multi-tenant vector store include optimizing chunk size, evaluating embedding models, and monitoring query performance. The article emphasizes the benefits of fully managed solutions to reduce operational complexity.

Winsage

February 21, 2025

Microsoft trims File Explorer’s Recent, Favorites, and Recommended content in Europe

Microsoft has released the Windows 11 24H2 Preview Build 26120.3281 in the Dev and Beta channels. This update removes several features from File Explorer, including the Recent, Favorites, and Recommended content sections, as well as the Details Pane, to comply with the EU's GDPR. The change primarily affects Entra ID users in the European Economic Area. The update also addresses the Location API, previously used by Cortana, which is now deemed unnecessary following Cortana's discontinuation. Microsoft has not clarified whether location data will still be stored online. These updates are currently in Preview and may not be included in the final version. Past updates have caused issues, such as disrupting sound output and making File Explorer unusable.

Tech Optimizer

February 21, 2025

PostgreSQL 18: Part 2 or CommitFest 2024-09

September's CommitFest for version 18 has seen a wealth of accepted patches and new features, including: - Conflict detection and logging in logical replication - Removal of the constant 10000000000 in the planner to improve sequential scan cost assessment - Enhanced memory management and usage monitoring for temporary tuple storage - Asynchronous operations support in pg_upgrade for multiple databases - Speed improvements for Hash Joins - Faster text value processing in JSON - Optimized numeric-type multiplication and division - Introduction of ANALYZE ONLY and VACUUM ONLY commands - Improved checkpointer statistics - Normalization of SET commands in pg_stat_statements - Reporting of remote connection status in postgres_fdw_get_connections - Ignoring format conversion errors in file_fdw - New function has_largeobject_privilege - Functions crc32 and crc32c added - Client-server protocol updates to report search_path changes - Support for named prepared statements in psql - Integrity verification for tar backups in pg_verifybackup

AppWizard

February 20, 2025

Game Pass: 2 new games are playable today on Xbox and PC

Game Pass has added two new titles: EA Sports F1 24 and Warhammer 40,000 Rogue Trader, both available starting February 20 through Game Pass Ultimate, PC Game Pass, and Game Pass Standard. On February 28, nine titles will be removed from Game Pass, including F1 22, Gris, Maneater, PAW Patrol World, Space Engineers, Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun, Wo Long Fallen Dynasty, Yakuza 3 Remastered, and Yakuza 4 Remastered. Earlier in the month, titles such as Far Cry New Dawn, Madden NFL 25, and Another Crab’s Treasure were added, along with the RPG Avowed.

Tech Optimizer

February 20, 2025

EDB Postgres® AI Significantly Outperforms Oracle, SQL Server, MongoDB, and MySQL in New Benchmark Study

EnterpriseDB (EDB) has released findings from a benchmark study by McKnight Consulting Group, showing that EDB Postgres AI outperforms Oracle, SQL Server, MongoDB, and MySQL in various workloads, including transactional, analytical, and AI tasks. Key performance metrics include being 150 times faster than MongoDB in processing JSON data, 4 times faster than MySQL in handling insert operations, and outperforming Oracle by 17% and SQL Server by 30% in processing New Orders Per Minute (NOPM). EDB Postgres AI also offers 7 times better price performance than Oracle and 6 times better than SQL Server. The study highlights the challenges enterprises face with legacy systems consuming 55% of IT budgets, which hampers modernization efforts. EDB Postgres AI aims to address these challenges by streamlining data infrastructure, reducing total cost of ownership, and facilitating AI capabilities in a secure environment.

AppWizard

February 20, 2025

Russian Groups Target Signal Messenger in Spy Campaign

Multiple Russian threat groups are targeting the Signal Messenger application, focusing on individuals likely to engage in sensitive military and governmental communications during the conflict in Ukraine. Researchers from Google's Threat Intelligence Group have identified these attacks as primarily aimed at individuals of interest to Russian intelligence services. The two main cyber-espionage groups involved are UNC5792 (tracked by Ukraine's CERT as UAC-0195) and UNC4221 (UAC-0185). Their goal is to deceive victims into linking their Signal accounts to devices controlled by the attackers, granting access to incoming messages. UNC5792 uses invitations that resemble legitimate Signal group invites with malicious QR codes, while UNC4221 employs a phishing kit that mimics Ukraine's Kropyva app and includes harmful QR codes on fake sites. Other Russian and Belarusian groups, including Sandworm (APT44) and Turla, are also targeting Signal Messenger in various ways, such as stealing messages from databases or local storage. Additionally, Belarus-linked group UNC1151 uses the Robocopy tool to duplicate Signal messages for future theft. The increased activity against Signal reflects a broader interest in secure messaging apps used by individuals in espionage and intelligence roles. These apps' strong security features make them attractive to at-risk individuals and communities but also high-value targets for adversaries. Russian groups are also targeting Telegram and WhatsApp, with a recent report detailing attacks by the Russian group Star Blizzard on WhatsApp accounts of government officials and diplomats.