Evaluate
Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.
Evaluate
Weigh the pros and cons of technologies, products and projects you are considering.
How the colocation data center stacks up to cloud, on-premises builds
Colocation data centers used to be about proximity. Not anymore. C7 CEO Wes Swenson says colo is about the best location and infrastructure options. Continue Reading
Immersion cooling and other source-of-heat options for cooling data centers
Source-of-heat cooling can be energy-efficient and free up data center design. Immersion cooling, a new source-of-heat option, has its pros and cons. Continue Reading
Data center certification options vs. less calculable IT skills
Companies want IT pros with business acumen who communicate effectively, but that's hard to measure with a data center certification. Continue Reading
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Everything that goes into application availability
Ensuring application availability requires focus on servers, surely, but also on network and storage virtualization, data center redundancy and code. Continue Reading
Physical building properties to evaluate during server room design
Does your server room have space to grow? What's the best mechanical system for it? Start with these questions to develop a good server room design. Continue Reading
Vendors must meet enterprise data center requirements
Converged infrastructure vendors struggle to entice enterprise customers
Top virtualization vendors lead VM management tools race
Microsoft, VMware favorites among private cloud vendors
VMware market share overshadows competing virtualization vendors
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Flexible disaster recovery options emerge on 24/7 availability demand
New disaster recovery options are flexible and mobile, including mobile data centers and power delivery, managed DR services and cloud-based options.Continue Reading
Programming thread-safe mainframe applications with the CICS ENQ command
Thread safety in mainframe applications means better vertical integration. Take full advantage with the CICS ENQ command.Continue Reading
Better data center planning tactics from the Open Compute Project
The Open Compute Project brings together data center titans to address pressing issues around hardware, interoperability and holistic operations.Continue Reading
Server cabinet cooling options from hot/cold aisles to full containment
Server cabinet cooling strategies range from hot and cold aisles to partial and full containment designs, and each pays off in energy savings.Continue Reading
Adding application performance monitoring tools to systems management
Application performance is a key metric for cloud infrastructures. But few companies use application performance monitoring tools or use them well.Continue Reading
How to implement SNMP monitoring to augment network monitoring tools
Network monitoring tools put agents on the devices they track. Augment this data by enabling SNMP monitoring on devices that don't support agents.Continue Reading
Evaluating an appliance server against traditional server deployment
Appliance servers sound good, but consider the tangible benefits of application-specific server deployment against current costs and future needs.Continue Reading
Uncomplicated server updates with the Spacewalk Linux management tool
Linux server management software helps refine patching and organization. Choose the Spacewalk Linux management tool or enterprise-grade options.Continue Reading
How to improve network performance via advanced NIC options
Ethernet networks often struggle with modern data center workloads, but emerging NIC technologies are here to help improve network performance.Continue Reading
Advisory Board: Cloud's effects on data center design principles, locale
Cloud computing growth has sparked questions about data center design principles, such as cost, location and resource availability.Continue Reading
Improving off-site data redundancy with data replication software tools
Creating off-site data redundancy requires additional hardware investments, but data replication software can ease the burden.Continue Reading
Choosing remote data storage and hardware for data redundancy
Remote data storage hardware is an important consideration when outfitting a redundant data center. Many factors influence storage choices.Continue Reading
Is a cryogenic cooler a viable option in the data center?
The high cost and increasing compute densities in server racks make it difficult to implement a cryogenic cooler in the data center.Continue Reading
Embrace power management and DCIM tools
Use CFD tools with existing infrastructure to target hotspots
A variety of options make data center expansion difficult
Data center expansion options are plentiful, but planning and preparation are essential when matching the right outsourcing option to your needs.Continue Reading
Server vendors must innovate to stem bleeding
Tier-one server vendors are offering a few choices to stop sales from evaporating, including their own cloud-based products.Continue Reading
Can traditional server vendors survive the cloud push?
In the era of virtualization and cloud computing, can the traditional server vendors survive extinction?Continue Reading
Server vendors must innovate to stem bleeding
Can traditional server vendors survive the cloud push?
A variety of options make data center expansion difficult
What are some good Linux options for a cloud-based company?
A Web app company running on a Linux operating system may find that growth will spur a change in the open source OS it runs on its servers.Continue Reading
Open source helps vendors wedge into server virtualization market
Citrix, Red Hat and Oracle are among the companies that rely on open source to get a foot in the server virtualization door.Continue Reading
Options for outsourcing IT services to the cloud
If your business is thinking about outsourcing IT services to a cloud provider, it's important to look at the differences between the options.Continue Reading
Virtualization management tools improve but still fall short
The current virtualization management tools still lack capabilities that customers require -- a familiar theme with data center management products.Continue Reading
Q&A: Markley looks to lighten load as an IaaS provider
Interest in cloud continues to gain traction, so how does a small infrastructure services provider compete with the Amazon Web Services of the world?Continue Reading
Are there too many options for outsourcing data center operations?
Outsourcing data center operations is popular among businesses seeking flexibility and low costs, but the plethora of providers muddies the water.Continue Reading
Are there too many options for outsourcing data center operations?
Examining vendor offerings in converged infrastructure market
Q&A: How data centers can keep up with massive Internet user growth
As Internet user growth stretches current network capacity thin, how can data center planners hit the moving target of future bandwidth needs?Continue Reading
IBM 'mini' PureApplication System may cause sticker shock
Is the price of IBM's new entry-level PureApplication System low enough to broaden its appeal?Continue Reading
Vendors take different paths with converged infrastructure tools
As enterprises deploy converged infrastructure solutions, vendors develop variations to gain an advantage. But is a unified system right for you?Continue Reading
Exploring the changes in IBM's IMS 13 database management tool
IBM's latest version of its IMS database management tool features many enhancements to make enterprises consider the upgrade.Continue Reading
New automation, virtualization tools aid VM provisioning
Increased automation and better tools are accelerating virtualization adoption and enhancing the approaches to VM provisioning.Continue Reading
Consider HTML5 application development for mobile devices
How to find the right systems management tool for the job
Five examples of doublespeak from cutting edge technology vendors
Exploring application delivery and networking in 'Modern Infrastructure'
Get a look inside the November issue of Modern Infrastructure with this introduction from editor-in-chief Alex Barrett.Continue Reading
Exploring application delivery and networking in 'Modern Infrastructure'
Five examples of doublespeak from cutting edge technology vendors
The terms used by vendors to describe cutting edge technology are often colorful. Here are five examples and the truth behind the tech.Continue Reading
Exploring remote server management options
Finding the best capacity planning tool for your data center
Application availability: Using the right tools
Mainframe monitoring tools get a new sibling with zEC12's zAware
Learn more about the IBM zEC12 mainframe's addition to the pantheon of mainframe monitoring tools. Here's a deeper look at zAware.Continue Reading
Choosing the best systems management tools for your virtualized servers
How do you choose the best systems management tool for your virtual environment? In this essential e-guide, learn about key considerations and criteria to keep in mind when assessing systems management tools for virtualized servers, and find out how...Continue Reading
Can you cut data center infrastructure costs with new analytics tools?
Leveraging new tools based on 'big data' analytics could help companies save money on data center infrastructure.Continue Reading
Setting traps with SLIP, king of the mainframe debugging tools
How to use SLIP, one of the best mainframe debugging tools, to set traps for annoying bugs.Continue Reading
Carbonite, Rhapsody, Activision choose data center colocation
Three household names that chose a data center colocation facility offer advice on how to select a colocation provider.Continue Reading
Guide to converting mainframe applications to Web services
Enterprises that convert their mission-critical mainframe applications into Web services can reduce maintenance costs and ensure an easier upgrade to other new technologies. In chapter one of the Modern Mainframe Management Challenges e-book, learn ...Continue Reading
Data center managers seek simple disaster recovery options
Egenera’s PAN Portability fixes some – but not all – of the challenges of disaster recovery for bare-metal servers.Continue Reading
Scale-out computing gets new low-power option
Web-scale IT shops get the option of a low-power Xeon-based offering that looks to outperform Atom-based products in more ways than one.Continue Reading
IT career paths for 2012: Advisory Board roundtable
Keen business sense and strong real-world experience are key attributes for growing IT careers.Continue Reading
Accelerate the mainframe testing and application development process
By going small, companies can lighten the application development process to roll out rapid changes and keep up with demanding market pressure.Continue Reading
Get the right applications to manage your system
This guide will help administrators find the best way to provision, monitor and manage the performance of virtual workloads across the data center.Continue Reading
Swapping blade servers: What to do about vendor lock-in
Vendor lock-in leaves organizations with few options if they are unhappy with the performance of blade servers.Continue Reading
Managing Red Hat using the graphical Service Configuration tool
The Red Hat Service Configuration tool is used to start a service that hasn't been started, or to make sure a service starts automatically at the moment your server boots.Continue Reading
Power production and cogeneration options for data centers
In this Q&A, an expert discusses the feasibility of implementing independent power production or cogeneration systems, and speculates on future trends in data center power use.Continue Reading
Application performance management tools for the cloud
There are many application performance management tools available that can collect and analyze metrics for organizations using distributed cloud-based applications.Continue Reading
Strategies for mainframe application modernization
Mainframe application modernization, re-engineering or distributed integration can maintain support for business-critical applications.Continue Reading
Changing vendors: Avoiding pitfalls, IT vendor contract negotiations
Negotiating IT vendor contract terms is crucial for protecting business continuity, physical property and intellectual assets when contracts end.Continue Reading
Using open source tools to monitor Apache Web Server performance
Much of today’s business relies on smooth operation of Web servers. Explore these three open source tools to monitor performance, security and traffic on Apache Web servers.Continue Reading
Trends in data center management and server technology
In this Q&A, an expert helps us analyze our State of the Data Center special report to identify and explain key developments in data center management and server technology.Continue Reading
Evaluating mainframe system monitoring tools
There are many system monitoring tools available for mainframes. This tip can help administrators analyze and choose the tool that fits their needs.Continue Reading
Process monitoring and management on Red Hat using graphical tools
Use the learn gnome-system-monitor command on Red Hat Enterprise Linux to monitor and manage processes on your server in a graphical environment.Continue Reading
Server refresh options: When to rent a server vs. when to buy
Companies looking to replace old hardware must consider long-term goals and evaluate financing options when deciding whether to buy or rent a server.Continue Reading
Disaster recovery planning in a virtualized environment: Advisory Board Q&A
Virtualization offers many benefits to a data center, including better disaster recovery options. Read what our Advisory Board experts have to say about virtual disaster recovery planning.Continue Reading
Choosing UPS systems for the data center
Selecting the right UPS for data centers is complex. This buying guide can help you sort through the features offered by today's UPS systems.Continue Reading
Choosing the right virtualization management tools
Virtualization management tools that can distinguish between physical and virtual servers give IT administrators the ability to better monitor virtual machines and allocate resources.Continue Reading
Server benchmarking tools and stress testing
Admins should turn to several tools to perform benchmark testing and compare results to verify accuracy. This tip outlines the role of stress testing and lists several tools available to engineers.Continue Reading
Preventing data center system downtime: Advisory board Q&A
Preparing for system downtime can help IT staff reduce the frequency and duration of costly outages.Continue Reading
The causes and costs of data center system downtime: Advisory Board Q&A
System downtime may be unavoidable, but planning and training can help restore operations sooner and mitigate the impact on most organizations.Continue Reading
Comparing the advantages of zshell over bash shell in Linux
Linux admins interested in using zsh instead of bash shell will learn what is similar and what is different. Zshell offers new features for tab completion and typo correction and others that would be much more complex in bash.Continue Reading
Raritan tool finds spare data center capacity: News in brief
Raritan dcTrack helps managers unearth spare data center capacity; Wave2Wave intros a data center on wheels; and iTRACS and TBD Fusion strike partnership.Continue Reading
Best practices for accurately measuring data center power consumption
Knowing when and where to measure data center power consumption is important for calculating power use effectiveness and improving efficiency.Continue Reading
Data center security concerns with contractors: Advisory Board Q&A
Maintaining physical data center security when allowing outside contractors into a facility takes caution and common sense.Continue Reading
The future of mainframe systems and the x86 platform
X86 server virtualization is developing features similar to traditional mainframe systems, and while the two are drawing closer together, there are important differences.Continue Reading
The power of traditional mainframe technology
Mainframes are still much more powerful than virtualized distributed systems clusters.Continue Reading
Traditional mainframe systems vs. x86 'software mainframe'
X86 server virtualization is developing features similar to traditional mainframe systems, and while the two are drawing closer together, there are still key differences.Continue Reading
The resiliency of mainframe systems
Traditional mainframe systems continue to outperform, and are more secure, than even the most bleeding-edge x86 virtualization software.Continue Reading
Envisioning the future of mainframe technology
Traditional mainframe systems will continue to have advantages over x86 platforms, but with similarities between the two increasing, it is possible they will likely converge.Continue Reading
Cloud computing technology enables the 'software mainframe'
Virtual machines alone also do not constitute a software mainframe. Cloud computing technology makes the idea of a "software mainframe" a possibility.Continue Reading
X86 platform narrows the gap
Traditional mainframe are still more powerful, but x86 systems are beginning to narrow the gap with high-end mainframe processors.Continue Reading
X86 server virtualization and clouds on the horizon
The idea of a "software mainframe" doesn't seem so far off when you look at advanced automation and orchestration tools for distributed systems, increasing power and virtualization integration in commodity chips and the trend of scale-out computing.Continue Reading
Vertical integration comes to x86 platform
Vertical hardware integration is also making its way into the x86 virtualization.Continue Reading
X86-based private clouds offer cost savings
x86-based private clouds offer cost savings when compared to traditional mainframe systems.Continue Reading
Traditional mainframe technology isn’t holding still
The idea of the mainframe is changing, new technologies are being implemented to keep pace if increasing workloads.Continue Reading
Efficient energy use and energy security in the data center
Energy efficiency in the data center is a growing trend, but a true focus on efficient energy use sometimes requires a greater financial incentive.Continue Reading
Data center construction alternatives
Data center construction can be a huge expense, but with today’s colocation alternatives, a new facility isn't always the best answer to the needs of growing enterprises.Continue Reading
Is the software mainframe metaphor apt, or off?
The increasing abilities of x86-based cloud computing are impressive, but is the "software mainframe" metaphor relevant?Continue Reading
Traditional mainframe vs. x86: Cautionary statements on the future
Several factors could delay, or even halt, the move toward x86, from traditional mainframe architectures over the next decade.Continue Reading