Introduction

Sharding helps distribute the data across multiple machines. If an increase in the size of the data or dealing with large databases, it becomes challenging for the single server to handle it. This article guides what Sharding is in MongoDB, its benefits, and setting up a MongoDB Sharding. In this article, we’ll also learn about MongoDB Count.

What is MongoDB Sharding

MongoDB Sharding is MongoDB’s approach to meeting the demands of data growth by recording data across multiple machines to share the database load among different servers. MongoDB sharding helps support deployment with enormous datasets and high throughput operations.

A MongoDB Sharded Cluster is the set of nodes comprising a sharded MongoDB deployment, and it consists of three components:-

• Shards – A Shard holds a subset of the sharded data and the combination of the multiple Shards forms a complete dataset. Each Shard can be deployed as a replica set to provide high availability and data consistency.
• Mongos – The Mongos act as the query router providing an interface between the client applications and the sharded cluster.
• Config Servers – Config Servers store the metadata and configuration settings for the cluster.

What is MongoDB Count?

MongoDB Count is used in counting the number of documents. It returns the number of records that match the selection criteria. It takes two arguments, the first one is the selection criteria, and the second one is optional.

Syntax for MongoDB Count:-

db.Collection_Name.count(

Selection_criteria,

{

    limit: <integer>,

    skip: <integer>,

    hint: <string or document>,

    maxTimeMS : <integer>,

    readConcern: <string>,

    collation: <document> 

})

 In case we want to count the number of documents in the collection, then use this syntax:-

db.Collection_name.count()

Benefits of MongoDB Sharding:-

Sharding allows users to scale up our database to handle the increased loads and thus offers various benefits to users, let’s have a look at some of the benefits of MongoDB Sharding:-

Increased Read/Write Throughput – MongoDB Sharding spreads the read and writes workload among the shards in a sharded cluster by distributing the data set across multiple shards. Each Shard has its processing speed, and both read and write throughput can be increased by adding more shards in the cluster.

High Availability – Deployment of the config servers and the shards as replica sets provide increased availability. The sharded cluster can perform partial read and writes even when one or more shard replica sets are unavailable.

Storage Capacity – Sharding allows us to store the subset of the total sharded data into different shards. Thus, we can use additional shards to increase the full storage capacity with the data increase.

Data Locality – With the help of Zone Sharding, you can easily create distributed databases to support geographically distributed apps, and the policies enforce data residency within specific regions. Each zone can have one or more shards.

How to implement MongoDB Sharding?

Let’s look at some of the actions that you need to perform to implement MongoDB Sharding:-

Set Up the Config Server

Each config server replica set can have any number of MongoDB processes (up to 50), and for each of those, you will need to start it with the –configsvr option.

E.g.:-

mongod –configsvr –replSet <configReplSetName> –dbpath <path> –port 27019 –bind_ip localhost,<hostname(s)|ip address(es)>

Now connect to just one of the replica set members from there.

mongo –host <hostname> –port 27019

Now run rs. initiate() on just one of the replica set members.

rs.initiate(

{

_id: “<configReplSetName>”,

configsvr: true,

members: [

{ _id : 0, host : “<cfg1.example.net:27019>” },

{ _id : 1, host : “<cfg2.example.net:27019>” },

{ _id : 2, host : “<cfg3.example.net:27019>” }

]

}

)

Set Up Shards

With the config server set up and running, we can create the shards, and the process will be similar to the config server but using the – shardsvr option.

E.g.:-

mongod –shardsvr –replSet <shardReplicaSetNamereplSetname>  –dbpath <path> –port 27018 –bind_ip <cluster hostname(s)|ip address(es)>

Now connect to just one of the replica set members from there.

mongo –host <hostname> –port 27018

Now run rs. initiate() on just one of the replica set members. Make sure you leave out the configsvr option.

rs.initiate(

{

_id: “<shardReplicaSetNamereplSetnamereplSetName>”,

members: [

{ _id : 0, host : “<shard-host1.example.net:2701827019>” },

{ _id : 1, host : “<shard-host2.example.net:2701827019>” },

{ _id : 2, host : “<shard-host3.example.net:2701827019>” }

]

}

)

Start the Mongos

Now finally, set up the Mongos and point it to your config servers replica set:-

mongos –configdb

<configReplSetName>/<cfg1.example.net:27019>,<cfg2.example.net:27019>,<cfg3.example.net:27019> –bind_ip localhost,<cluster hostname(s)|ip address(es)>

Configure and Turn on Sharding for the Database

Now first connect to your Mongos:-

mongo –host <hostname> –port 27017

Then add your shards to the cluster:-

sh.addShard(“<shardReplicaSetName>/<shard-host1.example.net:27018>,<shard-host2.example.net:27018>,<shard-host3.example.net:27018>”)

Enable Sharding on your database:-

sh.enableSharding(“<database>”)

Finally, shard your collection using the sh. shard collection() method. You can do this via Hashed Sharding:-

sh.shardCollection(“<database>.<collection>”, { <shard key field> : “hashed” , … } )

Or via Range_Based Sharding:-

sh.shardCollection(“<database>.<collection>”, { <shard key field> : 1, … } )

Following the above steps, you can set up your sharded cluster.

Conclusion

MongoDB Sharding is one of the best methods to manage large datasets and distribute the workload among different servers. This article introduces you to MongoDB Sharding and MongoDB Count, various components of the shards, and how Sharding is beneficial for the users. We have also shown you the different steps needed to implement MongoDB Sharding.

***************************

Voice over internet protocol is the new phone system that every business is installing in their company. It is not possible to get in touch with the clients and employees will not be able to get in touch with each other if this system is not installed in the company. Gone are the days when people use to install traditional landlines in their companies because this has been replaced with voice over internet protocol service now. 

In this article, we will discuss how you can make your communication stronger with the use of voice over internet protocol phones in your company. So, keep on reading to find out more information below about VoIP phones.

 1. Low Cost

The first advantage that you get after installing the system in your company is that it is going to lower the cost of your company to a great extent. It is the best way to lower the expenses and maximize the profit. You should focus on every single cost-saving opportunity and then you will be able to make the most out of your business and that is why it is a great idea to install a voice-over-internet protocol phone system in your company right now. 

This is going to make the communication much better because it is not going to cost you a lot of money every single month. Every month that traditional landline bill can be a lot for every company that is why you can replace it now by installing this system in your company.

 2. Accessibility

The next important benefit is to increase the accessibility in your company and this is only going to happen when you install the voice-over-internet protocol service in your company. If you have a data connection then you will be able to make and receive calls for your business. 

But sometimes you can have a signal problem and that is why it is important to have a whole system installed in your company that is dedicated only for this purpose and it is not going to cost a lot of money. It is going to increase the flexibility and remote accessibility in your company to a great extent. It doesn’t matter where employees are present in the company and they will be able to give their attention and productivity to the office.

 3. Portable

Voice over internet protocol system is great to install in your company because it is going to increase the portability of communication in your company. As a result, A communication system is going to improve in your company. It is completely portable which means that you can take it anywhere you want. 

If some people travel a lot then it is the best service that taken installed in their business. For example, if you are making a business address change then you will not have to face a lot of issues if you already have this portable system installed in your company as compared to a physical or traditional landline.

Anti-Bot Protection – You don’t hear about it much, but hackers and other bad actors still take down websites every once in a while. Having a robust set of anti-bot protection measures for your website is a vital first step in making it more difficult for hackers to exploit your weaknesses. In addition to potentially compromising your site, bots can make it difficult for legitimate users to access your servers, fill your site with ugly spam messages, or force you to deal with countless fake tickets and orders.

Why Bots Are Bad

Having a program access your site in and of itself isn’t bad. There are plenty of legitimate bots out there, from web crawlers for search engines to tools used to analyze websites. The issue occurs when you put a bad actor in charge of the bot accessing your site. Bots are very different from human users, so bad actors can leverage those differences to wreak havoc on your web presence.

One of the biggest advantages that bots have over humans is the ability to perform repetitive tasks fast. Humans take time to type, and even if they’re copying and pasting, they’ll have to find the right part of a site and then hit the keys on their keyboard to make text appear. Bots don’t have that limitation. If you’re using a popular CMS as the base of your site, a bot can be programmed to fill up your comment sections with spam in milliseconds. Even if you’ve got a totally custom website, any place where a user can put text can be exploited by a bot. Bots can attempt to target hundreds or thousands of sites in mere minutes, spreading ugly spam all around unprotected sites on the internet.

Another place where this advantage serves bots well is the password field. A well-written bot can crack passwords in minutes. Unlike human users, bots can try to log in as fast as your server allows, attempting password and username combinations many times a second. Modern bots can cross-reference lists of common passwords, hacked information from other sites, and even information they know about the owner of the site to try to narrow the field and guess passwords that are more likely to work. It’s vital that any place where a visitor can log into your site is well protected against bots to discourage this type of attack.

Limited Internet Resources

One of the most malicious things a bot can do is simply attempt to load your website or download your content. On its own, this kind of action isn’t particularly impactful. When it’s executed thousands or millions of times from computers all around the world, however, your site will essentially break. This is because the server your site is hosted on can only send out so many packets at a time. If there are many more malicious actors trying to get your data than there are real users, your site won’t be able to do its job.

This sort of event is often called a DDoS attack, or a distributed denial of service attack. Modern hosting providers often have sophisticated tracking measures that limit your exposure to this sort of thing, but it’s very difficult to prevent completely. Your hosting provider might direct suspicious traffic through a gateway page that’s full of anti-bot technology, allowing it to filter out bots from legitimate web traffic. Legitimate web traffic is then directed to your actual site, while the bots are sent somewhere else. Again, though, it’s very difficult to completely remove your vulnerability to a DDoS attack. In the previous example, if a botnet ever figures out how to directly access your actual site and skip the gateway the operator can execute an attack as if you weren’t protected at all.

How Anti-Bot Protection Works

Modern anti-bot protection uses a two-step process. First, it attempts to identify which users are bots. Second, it attempts to limit those users’ access to vital site areas and resources, keeping you protected.

You’ve probably seen a CAPTCHA when you try to log into a website. Modern CAPTCHAs often take the form of a little tick box where a user can specify that they’re not a robot. Believe it or not, this works really well! This is because the little box doesn’t just track whether it’s clicked or not. It follows your mouse or finger as you move around the page, notes information about your IP address and browser, and considers how long it took you to read the messages on the page and fill out the other fields. If there’s any doubt about your identity as a human, the CAPTCHA can throw you an additional challenge, like identifying images, finding letters amidst visual noise, or even transcribing a short audio sample.

Most bots don’t do any of these things well. In fact, many basic internet bots don’t do any of these things at all. Bots are programmed to only perform a small subset of tasks by their creator. This means that when they encounter a new situation, they can break and fail to do anything useful at all.

Malicious bot authors are aware of the measurements that anti-bot protection software uses to try to distinguish bots from legitimate users. High-end bots use advanced techniques like machine learning to emulate human users to an uncanny degree. Anti-bot protection software usually catches up, but it can sometimes take a few days or weeks before security researchers can effectively detect the latest wave of malicious bots.

Trust The System

One of the most important adages in software engineering is “don’t reinvent the wheel.” Popular systems like CAPTCHA aren’t perfect, but they’re proven solutions that can get you most of the way there with little to no effort on your part. Most CMS platforms have plugins that can help detect and eliminate bots, while your custom-built website was likely built by an expert who can help you add on anti-bot capabilities and keep you safe. When you can, try to leverage outside help and take advantage of free solutions like CAPTCHA to serve as a starting point. Talk to your hosting provider about anti-DDoS protection and consider talking to an expert about how to configure your server for extra safety. None of these things will reduce your risk of a bot attack to zero, but they’re all very easy and can reduce it by a very, very substantial margin.

Company Money – One of the most important parts of running a business is making sure that you are saving as much money as you can. This is because you don’t want your expenses to actually surpass the money that is coming in each year, thus causing a deficit in your company. Thankfully, there is a constant savior in the power of technology. If you are concerned in learning more about how to save your company money, then you are in exactly the right place, as this guide has been created to give you a complete overview. Read on now in order to learn more.

Use Cloud Computing

Backing up your data after you make a mistake or suffer a hack can be a long and expensive process, if you don’t have the necessary protections in place. Thankfully, if you use cloud computing, you can then quickly back up your data if it is suddenly lost, making it a must-have part of any business. If you are looking for a business to help you with your cloud computing needs, then it is definitely recommended to take a look at the services that are available at avepoint.com.

Use Automatic Payroll Software for Freelancers

If you hire a lot of freelancers, it is important to make sure that they are paid on time. This is not only because you want to make sure that they will work for you in the future — and not quit the job due to this uncertainty — but also due to the point that after a certain amount of time — which varies by state — they will be able to stick on late fees, costing you more as a business. That’s why it is such a good idea to install automatic software that can receive and process invoices to make sure everyone is paid on time. This way, you will be able to keep everyone happy, including your own business.

Use Anti-Virus Software

As the SolarWinds attack has shown, no business is truly safe from the attacks of hackers, the likes of which can severely affect your bottom line. That’s why you should be doing everything in your power to make sure that your company is properly protected. The best way to protect your business is by installing anti-virus software that successfully stops hacks in their tracks before they even occur, making them a necessary first line of defense. This should be coupled with a strong security system system that can section the different parts of your business, sense that if a hacker gets into one part of your business operations, they will only be able to access that part, meaning that the rest should be well-protected.

Go Paperless

As well as being bad for the atmosphere, using too much paper can suck up a lot of costs for your business in pan network costs, repairs and the cost of ink and paper itself. That’s why a very smart technological solution could actually be going paperless instead. Take a look and grasp if this is possible for your business.

Technology in 2022 – Are you a business owner looking to upgrade your current technology setup and IT infrastructure? Are you wondering whether or not you can afford to do this and how to go about it in the first place? Taking control of your tech has always been important for business owners, but in 2022 it is even more important than ever before.

One thing that can be certain, is that since the COVID-19 pandemic, the ways in which customers needs are being met has changed drastically, and businesses everywhere have had to adapt and make changes to their ways of working in order to meet these needs in better ways. One needs to be one step ahead of the trends, and making sure their operations and offerings are of the highest standard.

Now knowing what to do to actually take control of your tech and IT is another story – many business owners don’t have the knowledge and expertise to manage and monitor their own IT network, so one of the best ways to ensure your businesses IT is being properly managed is by hiring the services of an IT Support Partner or Managed IT Services Provider to help you.

An IT Support Partner will be able to give you the guidance your business needs in terms of technology, tools, software, and hardware as well as help build the ideal network and IT infrastructure for your business to operate from. So where do you find one of these IT Partners and how do you know if they can help you or now? Maybe you’re unsure of where to find the right kind of IT Support Services Companies to help you with your technology journey?

We spoke to one of the top IT Support Providers in London, TechQuarters, who are a Gold Microsoft Partner and have helped countless companies to upgrade and transform their IT and technology over the years. Just like TechQuarters, you can find an IT Support Provider close to where you are located who is qualified and has the credentials and accreditations that show you can rely on them to help you.

There are a number of reasons why a business would upgrade their technology this year, let’s take a look at some of the most beneficial reasons below:

Hybrid and Remote Work Will Become the Normal

Now that so many businesses are working remotely or using a hybrid work model, making sure your infrastructure can handle this and support your employees in the right way is crucial. Having the best tech and software in place to do this will be important.

The Power of the Cloud Will Continue Growing

Due to the nature of remote working, storing your company data in the cloud will become more and more common too. Many businesses have already made the move and are reaping the benefits of saving costs on actual hardware and storage too.

Internet Security and User Privacy Will Become More Important

Because so many of our transactions are moving to an online basis – consumer data and privacy are super important. Government regulations and GDPR laws need to be followed and ensuring your network and data handling procedures are compliant needs to be a priority for businesses.

Technology Using Renewable Energy Will Take Priority

Sustainable technology is a new term that is becoming more and more popular. Companies need to be mindful of their ecological impacts and carbon footprint, so ensuring you’re using the most eco-friendly tech and networking systems can go along way in ensuring your business is more sustainable in the long run.

Artificial Intelligence Will Be Used More in Business Than Ever Before

Artificial Intelligence is being used more and more in business – the capabilities it offers in terms of consumer insights and data analytics are outstanding and are helping businesses provide better services to their consumers and streamlining processes too.

As a business owner, if you aren’t taking control of your Technology in 2022 and IT infrastructure, you’re not taking advantage of all the wonderful things it can offer you. Reach out to an IT Support Provider in your area, find one who has worked with other companies in the same sector or industry as you are in, and have them explain to you how they have helped others to improve and upgrade their infrastructures – a good IT Partner will be able to provide you with examples and scenarios that showcase their expertise and will put your mind at ease.

Taking advantage of the benefits that technology can provide you with should be a top priority in 2022, so make sure you’re doing all you can to do just that. If you find the right IT Partner to help you do this, you’re sure to reap the rewards soon enough.