Books published by APress

Beginning-Intermediate user level

Up your game developer skills by learning game backend development with Microsoft Azure and PlayFab.Robust backend infrastructure support is essential for all modern games. Implementing game backend features became easier with the emergence of GBaaS (Game Backend-as-a-Service) providers and the advance of the cloud. Multiplayer gaming, leaderboards, game analytics, and virtual economies are all backed by cloud services.As a game developer, understanding core game backend features and implementation techniques is an important addition to your game developer skill set. Understanding game backend development will not only give you a competitive advantage, it will also eventually allow you to create better games. This book will help you get started. It teaches all the core concepts, using downloadable source code, so that you can experiment right away following a learning-by-doing approach.After reading this book, you will have a solid grasp of key game backend services and know how to implement them.What You Will LearnUnderstand core concepts around game backend developmentUse the PlayFab API to implement backend featuresBuild game backend infrastructure using Microsoft Azure cloud (architecture and implementation)Contrast the traditional Azure cloud- and PlayFab (GBaaS)-based implementations of game backend capabilitiesReuse source code to enable backend capability in your own gamesDiscover different ways for authenticating playersImplement a multiplayer game in Unity with the help of mirror networkingCreate a matchmaker to bring together players for an online game sessionEstablish leaderboards to reinforce player competitionBuild a virtual economy and monetize your gameSet up game analytics and gain insight into players¿ behaviorLet players communicate with each other by taking advantageof cognitive servicesLearn how to implement server-side custom game backend logicWho This Book Is ForGame developers who may be skilled in game development, but who possess little to no skills in GBaaS and cloud computing. This book is also for professionals working in the cloud solutions space who want to learn about the specific challenges of the gaming domain.

Gain complete understanding of electronic systems and their constituent parts. From the origins of the semiconductor industry right up until today, this book serves as a technical primer to semiconductor technology. Spanning design and manufacturing to the basic physics of electricity, it provides a comprehensive base of understanding from transistor to iPhone. Melding an accessible, conversational style with over 100 diagrams and illustrations, Understanding Semiconductors provides clear explanations of technical concepts going deep enough to fully explain key vernacular, mechanisms, and basic processes, without getting lost in the supporting theories or the theories that support the supporting theories. Concepts are tethered to the real world with crisp analysis of industry dynamics and future trends.    As a break from the straight-ahead scientific concepts that keep the world of semiconductors spinning, Understanding Semiconductors is liberally sprinkled with apt analogies that elucidate difficult concepts. For example, when describing the relationship between voltage, current, power, and the flow of electricity through an electronic system, the book draws a parallel to a hot shower and the water utility system. Most of these are paired with clear visuals, giving you the best chance possible to absorb the concept at hand before moving on to the next topic.  Whether you're narrowly technical or don't know silicon from silly putty, working directly in hardware technologies and want to know more, or simply a curious person seeking hard information about the technology that powers the modern world, Understanding Semiconductors will be an informative, dependable resource.   What You'll Learn:         Charge, Electricity, and Basic Physics          What are Semiconductors         The Semiconductor Value Chain and Design Trade-Offs         Transistors and Other Common Circuit Building Blocks         Semiconductor Design from Concept to Tapeout          Wafer Fabrication and Semiconductor Manufacturing Process         Integrated Circuit (IC) Packaging and Signal & Power Integrity (SIPI)         Common Circuits and System Components          RF and Wireless Technologies         System Architecture and Integration         The Semiconductor Industry - Challenges, History, and Trends         The Future of Semiconductors and Electronic Systems Who This Book Is For: People working directly in the semiconductor, electronics, and hardware technologies fields or in supporting industries, hobbyists and new electrical engineering enthusiasts with minimal technical experience or pre-existing qualifications, and curious individuals interested in learning more about a fascinating area of technology. Though designed for a non- or semi-technical reader, engineers focused in one particular domain can also use this book to broaden their understanding in areas that aren't directly related to their core area of expertise.

Navigating the fragmented IoT connectivity ecosystem of standards, protocols, and architectures can be a challenge. Not to mention scaling a solution to a viable product. This book guides you through this fractured landscape with real world examples and projects that can be leverage for an IoT product. Backed by an overview of IoT use cases and key connectivity elements of IoT solutions, you'll gain an understanding of the breadth of the IoT landscape and the fragmentation of connectivity standards and solutions and the challenge in navigating the many standards and technologies. You'll also be able to understand the essentials of connectivity including, hardware, software, and business models. ¿IoT is essential for increasing productivity of many industries and quality of life (making the world smart and autonomous). Both wired and wireless connectivity technologies are essential ingredients in an IoT product. Writtenby Intel engineers and architects, Connecting the Internet of Things understands that connectivity is a key topic of IoT and comprehensively covers the topic from a system engineering and practical perspective.What You'll LearnUnderstand the trade offs between different wireless technologies and network topologiesUse wireless technologies in IoT productsExamine connectivity technologies and considerations on selecting it for the IoT use casesAssemble all of the components of a working solution Scale your solution to a productReview emerging connectivity technologies for addressing new use casesAdvance and optimize the performance of existing technologiesWho This Book Is ForResearchers, managers, strategists, technologists, makers, and students in the embedded and Internet of Things (IoT) space trying to understand and implement connectivity in the devices/platforms.

Build IoT solutions for the enterprise using open-source building blocks from the Eclipse IoT Working Group at the Eclipse Foundation. This book introduces you to key protocols and their implementations, such as CoAP (Eclipse Californium), DDS (Eclipse Cyclone DDS), LwM2M (Eclipse Leshan), and MQTT (Eclipse Paho, Eclipse Mosquitto, and Eclipse Amlen). You will learn about Edge Computing platforms (Eclipse ioFog, Eclipse Kanto), IoT gateways (Eclipse Kura, Eclipse Kapua), and next-generation edge native protocols (Eclipse zenoh).The book also covers production-ready platforms for digital twins (Eclipse Ditto), energy management (Eclipse VOLTTRON), contactless payments (Eclipse Keyple), and much more.Although the book discusses hardware matters, its focus is on software and relevant open standards. The book helps you understand the pros and cons of the technologies available from Eclipse IoT and how they have been used in actual deployments. The examples provided cover a variety of use cases, such as industrial automation, smart agriculture, digital buildings, robotics, and others.The book's contents follow a reference architecture encompassing constrained devices (things), edge devices (gateways, servers), and IoT Cloud platforms. For each of those three pillars, you will learn about relevant open-source components. Usage of code libraries and frameworks is explained through code samples. You will also learn how to deploy and configure platform-type components and how to leverage them. Special attention will be paid to security and edge computing throughout the book. What You Will LearnDescribe in your own words the main software components required in an IoT architectureSelect the appropriate IoT protocols, components, frameworks, and platforms for a specific projectEvaluate the connectivity options at your disposal and select the most appropriate onesExplain the value of business models focused on open-source components and deploy such models in your organizationDetermine if edge computing is relevant to a project and deploy the relevant components on an edge computing platformBuild Enterprise IoT solutions leveraging an array of open-source components and platforms using popular languages such as C, Java, and RustWho This Book Is ForDevelopers new to enterprise IoT who want to learn about fundamental technologies for that market segment and seek an introduction to relevant, open-source building blocks; experienced IoT developers who seek alternatives to the proprietary platforms they are currently using; software architects designing IoT solutions who want to understand open-source technology options

This book takes developers on a journey into the cloud with Docker and Kubernetes. It walks you through the basics of Docker containers, how they are built, run, and published, and how the Kubernetes system allows you to use containers to better manage a cloud native application. Additionally, it walks you through various issues in cloud architecture, and how to design a cloud architecture that will work with your application and your team. The book takes a unique approach, getting you immersed in each subject with tutorials, then building up your technical knowledge, and finally backing up and thinking about more big-picture issues. Part one introduces Docker, building and working with Docker images, and covering best practices for Docker Containers. Part two covers the practicalities of "cloud native¿ and managing a Kubernetes application, including a full working example. The last part covers the design of cloud and microservice architectures, includingthe use of enterprise message queues, multi-site configurations and the common values that such architectures follow.This approach accelerates learning and keeps you moving forward without leaving you behind. The appendices also contain a wealth of worthwhile reference material for routine cloud application management.What You Will LearnUnderstand Docker and containerizationGain insight into what Kubernetes isMaster essential cloud architecture design principlesDesign and implement notes for building cloud architecturesWho This Book Is ForPrimarily developers who are moving to the cloud and want to get a sense of the environment they are getting into, and developers who want to move into a larger role of cloud architecture.

IOUG Press

Examine the working details for real-world Java programs used for system integration with IBM Software, applying various API libraries (as used by Banking and Insurance companies). This book includes the step-by-step procedure to use the IBM FileNet Case Manager 5.3.3 Case Builder solution and the similar IBM System, IBM Business Automation Workflow to create an Audit System. You'll learn how to implement the workflow with a client Java Message Service (JMS) java method developed with Workflow Custom Operations System Step components. Using IBM Cognos Analytics Version 11.2, you'll be able to create new views for IBM Case Manager Analytics for custom time dimensions. The book also explains the SQL code and procedures required to create example Online Analytical Processing (OLAP) cubes with multi-level time dimensions for IBM Case Manager analytics.IBM Software Systems Integration features the most up to date systems software procedures using tested API calls.You will:Review techniques for generating custom IBM JMS codeCreate a new custom view for a multi-level time dimensionSee how a java program can provide the IBM FileNet document management API calls for content store folder and document replicationConfigure Java components for content engine events

This unique open access book applies the functional OCaml programming language to numerical or computational weighted data science, engineering, and scientific applications. This book is based on the authors' first-hand experience building and maintaining Owl, an OCaml-based numerical computing library. You'll first learn the various components in a modern numerical computation library. Then, you will learn how these components are designed and built up and how to optimize their performance. After reading and using this book, you'll have the knowledge required to design and build real-world complex systems that effectively leverage the advantages of the OCaml functional programming language. What You Will LearnOptimize core operations based on N-dimensional arraysDesign and implement an industry-level algorithmic differentiation moduleImplement mathematical optimization, regression, and deep neural network functionalities based on algorithmic differentiationDesign and optimize a computation graph module, and understand the benefits it brings to the numerical computing libraryAccommodate the growing number of hardware accelerators (e.g. GPU, TPU) and execution backends (e.g. web browser, unikernel) of numerical computationUse the Zoo system for efficient scripting, code sharing, service deployment, and compositionDesign and implement a distributed computing engine to work with a numerical computing library, providing convenient APIs and high performance Who This Book Is For Those with prior programming experience, especially with the OCaml programming language, or with scientific computing experience who may be new to OCaml. Most importantly, it is for those who are eager to understand not only how to use something, but also how it is built up.

This book introduces reinforcement learning with mathematical theory and practical examples from quantitative finance using the TensorFlow library.Reinforcement Learning for Finance begins by describing methods for training neural networks. Next, it discusses CNN and RNN ¿ two kinds of neural networks used as deep learning networks in reinforcement learning. Further, the book dives into reinforcement learning theory, explaining the Markov decision process, value function, policy, and policy gradients, with their mathematical formulations and learning algorithms. It covers recent reinforcement learning algorithms from double deep-Q networks to twin-delayed deep deterministic policy gradients and generative adversarial networks with examples using the TensorFlow Python library. It also serves as a quick hands-on guide to TensorFlow programming, covering concepts ranging from variables and graphs to automatic differentiation, layers, models, andloss functions.After completing this book, you will understand reinforcement learning with deep q and generative adversarial networks using the TensorFlow library.What You Will LearnUnderstand the fundamentals of reinforcement learningApply reinforcement learning programming techniques to solve quantitative-finance problemsGain insight into convolutional neural networks and recurrent neural networksUnderstand the Markov decision processWho This Book Is ForData Scientists, Machine Learning engineers and Python programmers who want to apply reinforcement learning to solve problems.

It doesn¿t matter if you are completely new to Cisco ACI or you already have some experience with the technology, this book will guide you through the whole implementation lifecycle and provide you with a comprehensive toolset to become confident in any ACI-related task. In the beginning, it¿s very important to build strong fundamental knowledge about Cisco ACI components. We'll go through underlay networking based on Nexus 9000 switches and describe the APIC controller cluster acting as the management plane of ACI. By building Access Policies, you'll see how to optimally connect servers, storage, routers, switches, or L4-L7 service devices to ACI. Then we'll properly design and implement Logical Application Policies. You will understand all the fabric forwarding behavior when using different ACI settings and architectures while getting a toolset on how to verify and troubleshoot eventual problems. This book also covers external L2 and L3 connectivity in ACI,more advanced features like integration with virtualization hypervisors and Kubernetes, service chaining of L4-L7 devices using Service Graphs, or practical approach to using REST API automation based on Python and Ansible/Terraform.Cisco ACI: Zero to Hero can additionally be used as a valuable source of theoretical and practical knowledge for all candidates preparing for CCIE DC v3.0 Written or Lab exams.What You'll LearnUnderstand network evolution and Cisco ACI components Underlay ACI networking based on Nexus 9000 switches, APIC controllers, and Application Policy ModelIntegrate ACI with virtualization hypervisors and KubernetesDynamically and seamlessly include L4-L7 service devices in communication between ACI endpoints Build ACI Anywhere: ACI Multi-Tier, Stretched Fabric, Multi-POD, Multi-Site, and Remote LeafUtilize ACI REST API with Python, related Cobra SDK, Ansible or Terraform, to develop automation and scripts on top of the ACI platformWho This Book Is ForNetwork engineers, architects, network developers, administrators or NOC technicians.

Pro Freeware and Open Source Solutions for Business is a practical guide for the small business owner seeking viable alternative to expensive commercial software packages and subscriptions. This comprehensive look at the powerful alternatives to expensive proprietary software provides an illustrated overview of no-cost software solutions.In this book you will find free and open source solutions for office productivity, PDF creation, accounting, image editing and graphic design, desktop publishing, 3D design, CAD, audio and video editing, website and blog creation, customer relationship management, point of sale, networking and security, and alternatives to the Windows and Macintosh operating systems. This guide helps free the cost-conscious business owner from the bonds of expensive proprietary software by exploring the free and powerful alternatives that exist. You can save a substantial sums of money by replacing just a few commercial software titles with free and open source solutions. Learn how with Pro Freeware and Open Source Solutions for Business today.

Teaches you how and what to study in order to be best prepared for the Certified OpenStack Administrator exam. This fast-growing technology is creating a market that needs more qualified IT specialists with proven skills. This book covers 100% of the exam requirements for both The OpenStack Foundation and the Mirantis OpenStack Certification Exam.Each theme is taught using practical exercises and instructions for the command line and for the graphical client (Horizon). Each chapter is followed by review questions, complete with answers. Even after you have taken and passed your OpenStack exam, this book will remain a useful reference. What You Will LearnUnderstand the components that make up the cloud.Install and make an OpenStack distribution from Mirantis, Red Hat or another community version.Work with OpenStack Identity Management, Dashboard, CLI, Object Storage, Block Storage, Networking, Telemetry, Orchestration, and Image Services.Learn how to troubleshoot all the main OpenStack services.Understand where to find information for future work with OpenStack.Who This Book Is ForCertified OpenStack Administrator Study Guide is for Cloud and Linux engineers looking for a better understanding of how to work with the modern OpenStack IaaS Cloud, and wants to prove their knowledge by passing a Certified OpenStack Administrator Exam. 

This book illustrates how data can be useful in solving business problems. It explores various analytics techniques for using data to discover hidden patterns and relationships, predict future outcomes, optimize efficiency and improve the performance of organizations. Yoüll learn how to analyze data by applying concepts of statistics, probability theory, and linear algebra. In this new edition, both R and Python are used to demonstrate these analyses. Practical Business Analytics Using R and Python also features new chapters covering databases, SQL, Neural networks, Text Analytics, and Natural Language Processing.Part one begins with an introduction to analytics, the foundations required to perform data analytics, and explains different analytics terms and concepts such as databases and SQL, basic statistics, probability theory, and data exploration. Part two introduces predictive models using statistical machine learning and discusses concepts like regression, classification, and neural networks. Part three covers two of the most popular unsupervised learning techniques, clustering and association mining, as well as text mining and natural language processing (NLP). The book concludes with an overview of big data analytics, R and Python essentials for analytics including libraries such as pandas and NumPy.Upon completing this book, you will understand how to improve business outcomes by leveraging R and Python for data analytics.What You Will LearnMaster the mathematical foundations required for business analyticsUnderstand various analytics models and data mining techniques such as regression, supervised machine learning algorithms for modeling, unsupervised modeling techniques, and how to choose the correct algorithm for analysis in any given taskUse R and Python to develop descriptive models, predictive models, and optimize modelsInterpret and recommend actions based on analytical model outcomesWho This Book Is ForSoftware professionals and developers, managers, and executives who want to understand and learn the fundamentals of analytics using R and Python.

Use this practical guide to analyze and troubleshoot SQL Server performance using wait statistics. You'll learn to identify precisely why your queries are running slowly. And you'll know how to measure the amount of time consumed by each bottleneck so you can focus attention on making the largest improvements first. This edition is updated to cover analysis of wait statistics current with SQL Server 2022. Whether you are new to wait statistics, or already familiar with them, this book provides a deeper understanding on how wait statistics are generated and what they mean for your SQL Server instance¿s performance. The book goes beyond the most common wait types into the more complex and performance-threatening wait types. Yoüll learn about per-query wait statistics and session-based wait statistics, and the types of problems they can help you solve. The different wait types are categorized by their area of impact, including CPU, IO, Latching, Locking, and many more.Clear examples are included to help you gain practical knowledge of why and how specific wait times increase or decrease, how they impact your SQL Server¿s performance, and what you can do to improve performance. After reading this book, you won¿t want to be without the valuable information that wait statistics provide regarding where you should be spending your limited tuning time to maximize performance and value to your business. What You'll LearnUnderstand how the SQL Server engine processes requestsIdentify resource bottlenecks in a running SQL Server instanceLocate wait statistics information inside DMVs and Query StoreAnalyze the root cause of sub-optimal performanceDiagnose I/O contention and locking contentionBenchmark SQL Server performanceImprove database performance by lowering overall wait time Who This Book Is ForDatabase administrators who want to identify and resolve performance bottlenecks, those who want to learn more about how the SQL Server engine accesses and uses resources inside SQL Server, and administrators concerned with achieving¿and knowing they have achieved¿optimal performance

Gain insights into the different challenges that can be solved using Go, with a focus on containers, Linux, security, networking, user interfaces and other relevant cloud based topics. This book reviews the necessary tools to create container-based cloud solutions with Go, a programming language that was born out of the need to address scalable, high availability cloud computing architecture needs inside Google. Go, also known as Golang, has been adopted across different industries and products with many popular Open Source projects that power cloud computing technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes being written with Go. As the complexity of cloud technology increases, so does the need for people to understand how things work under-the-hood and to fix them when they¿re broken. What You Will LearnUnderstand how the various components of a container-based system worksTackle complex technical issues using GoIntegrate tools that can be used as part of your daily operational needsBuild system-based productsWho This Book Is For Developers and Engineers familiar with Go who want to know how different parts of the system work and who want to write command line tools. It will also be beneficial to programmers who already have a system-level understanding and want to use Go to build tools for existing projects and applications.

Learn the fundamentals of serverless applications and how to take advantage of time-tested Amazon Web Services (AWS) to build scalable apps. This book shows you how to work with the key features of your applications with minimum code, simple CLI commands and one-click deployments. You'll see how to manage authentication, standard UI components, database storage, filesystem, CI/CD pipeline and more. You'll also examine the architecture, strengths, scalability, and limitations of serverless, and how to use AWS Amplify effectively. You will use tools including React, Cognito, GraphQL, DynamoDB, Kinesis, and Sagemaker.AWS Amplify is the fastest and easiest way to build serverless web and mobile apps at scale, comprising tools and services that work independently and can be wired together to build scalable apps.You will:Build GraphQL and REST APIsModel data with Amplify DatastoresSet up a CI/CD pipeline with AmplifyRecord and make sense of user data analytics with KinesisBoost your application with AI/ML capability using Sagemaker