Data Center Strategies for the CIO
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Energy benefits of Bloom box may not outweigh risks
Though the Bloom Energy Server shows promise as an alternative way to power the data center, reliability issues may hamper widespread adoption.
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How green are fuel cell energy units?
Bloom servers get the energy for their fuel cells from cheaper, cleaner alternatives such as biogas and natural gas.
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Bloom box fuel cells ease reliance on power grid
Some enterprises have cut their electric bill by plugging commercial fuel cell systems, like Bloom Energy Servers, into their data center.
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Prevent gray-market mishaps with a few key tactics
Used IT equipment can help a business cut capital costs, but be proactive to protect yourself from dishonest gray-market sellers.
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Two Linux and Unix tricks for the arsenal
For Brad Casey, the usefulness of Linux and Unix commands is in the eye of the beholder, but here are a couple hidden gems admins might not know.
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Server redundancy and capacity planning go hand in hand
Though there is no "one size fits all" way to approach capacity planning, server redundancy is a good place to start.
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Noise and energy lower with immersion cooling
Consider a liquid cooled data center to reduce energy draw and noise generated by traditional air cooling systems.
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Using mineral oil cooling techniques to cut costs
Explore how mineral oil cooling works for servers and adapt the process to fit your data center's needs.
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Why sketchy used IT equipment is a problem
Dealing with disreputable IT equipment resellers can lead to unintended additional costs and needless frustration.
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Using inert gas for fire suppression
Using tanks filled with inert gas to protect the data center from fires requires proper placement to avoid danger if a rupture occurs.
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Gray market equipment saves money
Businesses may choose to make due with gray market equipment when platform updates simply won't work or older systems require continued support.
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Beware the limitations of KVM over IP
The technology behind remote KVM is solid, but there are still issues to consider when using it in your data center.
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KVM over IP capabilities usually in server motherboard
The functionality for KVM over Ethernet usually resides in a microcontroller on the server motherboard or in some cases may require a daughter card.
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KVM over IP makes remote admin feasible
Remote systems management using KVM over IP is helping businesses avoid the costs associated with travel while improving support response times.
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How can I determine a new data center build cost?
If you want to get an estimate on a data center build cost, the guidelines posted by the Uptime Institute can help with the initial analysis.
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How do I check disk seeks per second on a Linux server?
There are several common tools that can check disk seeks per second on a Linux server, but they may not give you all the information you require.
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Adjust SELinux settings when running into VM issues
Here's how to solve the problems when trying to access files via a virtual machine in SELinux.
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Building an expansion and expenditure case
Funding a data center project or an expansion requires building a business case that focuses on three areas.
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How to decide between capex and opex
What factors do you take into account when determining capital expenditures versus operating expenditures?
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Using curtains for hot aisle/cold aisle containment
Plastic curtains in the data center are one method of hot aisle/cold aisle containment to keep equipment cool and save energy costs.
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OpenFlow requires compliant hardware, software
An OpenFlow deployment requires switches and a controller that conform to the OpenFlow protocol, but interoperability is not guaranteed.
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Who controls the OpenFlow specification?
Developed by OpenFlow.org in 2011, the member-supported OpenFlow specification could significantly affect future data center networking procedures.
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What does OpenFlow mean for your data center?
The OpenFlow protocol helps push packets more efficiently as an increasing number of workloads try to fit through network pipes.
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