News

News

• January 09, 2015 09 Jan'15

  New tools could draw Millennials to IBM mainframes

  IT shops have tried a number of ways to attract Millennials to IBM mainframes. Maybe a new generation of tools is the best way to bridge the IT generation gap.

• January 05, 2015 05 Jan'15

  Six data center trends to expect in 2015

  These six data center trends will move from leading edge to mass adoption in 2015. Experts and IT organizations that already took the plunge explain why.

• December 10, 2014 10 Dec'14

  IT holds the key to business process improvement

  IT isn't a monolithic cost sink. Instead, it is a department that can shape digital initiatives and improve business processes.

• October 09, 2014 09 Oct'14

  Top 10 IT trends that rattle data center I&O

  With software-defined everything, integrated systems, IoT and more, the data center will never be the same. Here are the top trends shaking things up.

• October 08, 2014 08 Oct'14

  Strategic tips for better IT infrastructure services

  Careful measurement and user focus are the best approaches to tomorrow's IT infrastructure and operations management.

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• August 19, 2014 19 Aug'14

  There's a whole lotta shakin' goin' on in converged infrastructure

  With sales sagging, legacy hardware suppliers are scurrying to form partnerships with a new generation of converged infrastructure vendors. But will these newly minted converged systems convince IT to open up the purse strings?

• July 25, 2014 25 Jul'14

  Facebook IT 'likes' facilities, shares PUE status

  No mechanical refrigeration or dehumidification. No war between IT and facilities. Hear how Facebook's choices yield a PUE consistently below 1.10.

• July 21, 2014 21 Jul'14

  Seven data center blogs you should be reading right now

  Stay connected on trending IT topics on Twitter and Tumblr. Follow these seven experts who express news, opinions in data center blogs.

• July 16, 2014 16 Jul'14

  Facebook tour reveals Open Compute Project in action

  Facebook's North Carolina data center is warm and humid, which is fine for the thousands of OCP servers working there. Check out the exclusive video.

• May 16, 2014 16 May'14

  Ubuntu roadmap leads to cloud, hyperscale computing

  Ubuntu isn't trying to be the best Linux server OS for enterprise apps. Instead, the distribution focuses on cloud and hyperscale installations.

• March 12, 2014 12 Mar'14

  Linux careers expand, prove lucrative for qualified IT pros

  The Linux job market is hot, but how do you get a lucrative Linux career?

• February 27, 2014 27 Feb'14

  Legacy IT vendors transform to survive the mobile, cloud evolution

  BlackBerry, Dell, IBM, Microsoft and other major IT vendors must transform to survive the cloud and mobile era. Will IT buyers invest in their vision?

• February 12, 2014 12 Feb'14

  Can Dell Software rescue its spiraling hardware sales?

  Ready to become a full services technology supplier, Dell's inability to articulate a software vision and internal politics have bogged it down.

• January 23, 2014 23 Jan'14

  IBM cuts bait on Intel server line, Lenovo bites

  After two weeks of mounting speculation, IBM sold its System X series to Lenovo for $2.3 billion. Company will focus more on cloud, software and big data.

• January 22, 2014 22 Jan'14

  IBM cloud efforts intensify as System z, Power hardware revenues tank

  IBM's server hardware sales continue their decline as the company sharpens its focus on cloud software and services and ponders layoffs.

• January 09, 2014 09 Jan'14

  IBM targets cloud, big data with upcoming Intel-based X6 systems

  IBM’s X6 is a radically different architecture for Intel-based servers designed to boost performance and reliability, sources say. Will it propel its xSeries higher into the clouds?

• December 09, 2013 09 Dec'13

  New HP converged systems target big data, virtualization markets

  HP hopes its new converged systems can claim a bigger slice of the big data and virtualization pies, but will users already committed to cloud respond?

• November 01, 2013 01 Nov'13

  IT budget cuts? Take a lesson from thrifty SMBs

  Small IT shops adopt some of the same trends as large enterprises, but with much caution and attention to priorities. And mistakes are felt acutely.

• October 11, 2013 11 Oct'13

  Chief digital officer IT jobs emerge to bridge IT and end users

  Traditional IT job roles are evolving, and new jobs like the chief digital officer have emerged to help companies move to mobile and cloud computing.

• September 27, 2013 27 Sep'13

  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.

• August 01, 2013 01 Aug'13

  Third platform IT job skills in demand

  Companies that are on board with cloud, big data, social and mobile trends seek IT pros with third platform skills, but those IT job skills are rare.

• July 29, 2013 29 Jul'13

  IBM mainframes reinvigorated at lower price for cloud apps, data analytics

  The latest IBM mainframes' lower price point and a redoubled focus on Linux workloads may appeal to younger admins and smaller IT shops.

• July 11, 2013 11 Jul'13

  IBM acquires CSL International, simplifies mainframe management

  IBM acquired virtualization management vendor CSL International, giving IT admins a simple way to manage z/VM and Linux on System z virtualization.

• June 07, 2013 07 Jun'13

  Red Hat discloses RHEL roadmap

  Many improvements are coming to RHEL, including changes to installations, file systems and the user interface.

• May 29, 2013 29 May'13

  HP Moonshot and Dell microservers mark the next wave of innovation

  Client device innovation over the past several years has sparked a new wave of server innovation with Dell microservers and HP's Moonshot.

• April 05, 2013 05 Apr'13

  Go thin or go home -- that's the graphene way

  Some analysts estimate that Moore's Law  -- the ability of manufacturers to double the number of transistors on a chip every 18 months -- will end in 10 years. At a certain point, the electrons of ...

• January 31, 2013 31 Jan'13

  DevOps movement could boost IT operations' image

  The DevOps movement has undeniable momentum. Could IT operations harness the power of its success?

• December 12, 2012 12 Dec'12

  Dell continues its extreme makeover for cloud, BYOD and services era

  IT pros ponder another year of acquisition and transformation for Dell, and what it may mean for their own cloud computing strategy plans.

• December 05, 2012 05 Dec'12

  How traditional IT shops can be more like public cloud providers

  Want your data center to be more like an agile public cloud? Here’s how cloud providers handle apps, "big data," data center hardware and IT staffing.

• December 04, 2012 04 Dec'12

  Differences between enterprise data centers and public cloud

  Want to run your data center more like an agile public cloud? Here are some surprising ways cloud providers differ from traditional IT departments.

• September 27, 2012 27 Sep'12

  Questioning 99.999% uptime: When are four nines enough?

  In some super-important industries, 99.999% uptime should be the goal. But most companies can tolerate a little more downtime.

• September 07, 2012 07 Sep'12

  Choice Hotel rethinks IT architecture, employs middleware, SOA, BPM

  User story describes application modernization employing Oracle Fusion middleware, SOA and BPM. A hotel chain gains flexibility going the SOA route.

• July 03, 2012 03 Jul'12

  Amazon outage due to data center generator problems

  Data center generators are to blame for the Amazon outage in June. What's worse, it's not the first of its kind.

• April 20, 2012 20 Apr'12

  HP ProLiant servers to come with Ubuntu Server Edition

  Hewlett-Packard to package Ubuntu on ProLiant servers. Linus Torvalds up for a prestigious technology prize. Red Hat embraces Microsoft Open Technologies.

• March 28, 2012 28 Mar'12

  From DevOps to NoOps: IT operations pros dwindle, developers rise

  The NoOps term reflects a trend in contemporary DevOps shops: the diminishing number of operations people relative to developers.

• March 28, 2012 28 Mar'12

  We're doing lots of science, but we can't store the results

  Last year's flooding in Thailand was a terrible reminder of what nature can do. Besides affecting millions of lives, it destroyed businesses and factories and left the rest of the world with an ...

• August 08, 2011 08 Aug'11

  Ubuntu offers cloud freebie; openness of Android examined: news in brief

  Canonical grows it personal cloud service to a million users, Android ranks last in open source analysis and other news in brief.

• March 29, 2011 29 Mar'11

  Processor technology for Unix systems: AMD or Intel?

  Unix admins have many processor technology options for their environments. An expert compares offerings from AMD and Intel to help you make the best decision for your data center.

• March 23, 2011 23 Mar'11

  Oracle drops Itanium development

  Joining the crowd, Oracle says it will stop software development for flagging Itanium chip.

• March 22, 2011 22 Mar'11

  CA Spectrum replaced by AccelOps: News in brief

  Texas radiology clinic replaced CA Technologies’ Spectrum monitoring suite with AccelOps to save on maintenance.

• March 22, 2011 22 Mar'11

  Dell Viking micro server recast as PowerEdge C5000

  The Dell Viking started out as a custom box for low-end dedicated hosting and has graduated to a full-fledged micro server platform.

• March 03, 2011 03 Mar'11

  Understanding KVM-over-IP

  It’s not practical to have keyboard, video display and a mouse for every server. KVM-over-IP makes it possible to manage multiple servers through a single set of devices.

• March 03, 2011 03 Mar'11

  1U servers: Features and capabilities introduction

  1U servers are well suited to many everyday business tasks. This overview considers the key features -- from processor and memory support to network ports-- of various 1U server offerings.

• November 16, 2010 16 Nov'10

  Move over SMPs: Distributed shared memory systems step in

  Researchers are building ersatz SMP machines out of commodity x86 boxes, plus specialized hardware and software.

• November 11, 2010 11 Nov'10

  Have data center careers hit the skids?

  Has virtualized infrastructure derailed data center careers? IT managers say they now spend too much time troubleshooting environments and not enough time on strategic projects.

• November 05, 2010 05 Nov'10

  Data center EPO vulnerability fixed in 2011 National Electrical Code

  Data centers are no longer required to put the big red kill-switch on exit doors, thanks to a committee that convinced the NFPA to revisit its data center EPO regulation.

• October 21, 2010 21 Oct'10

  Cisco et al. push memory-dense servers; but at what cost?

  Today’s x86 servers offer impressive memory densities, but some IT shops want even more.

• October 04, 2010 04 Oct'10

  AMD battles for server CPU cred

  Historically, AMD processors have been a force to be reckoned with in data centers. But some IT managers have questioned the platform’s longevity.

• September 24, 2010 24 Sep'10

  IT pros explore SaaS-based infrastructure monitoring

  Monitoring Software as a Service gives busy data center managers one less thing to do.

• August 20, 2010 20 Aug'10

  Biodiesel mandates cause backup generator problems

  States such as Minnesota and Oregon have passed biodisel mandates, but data center managers say improper handling of biodiesel can cause problems for backup generators.

• June 07, 2010 07 Jun'10

  Bob Sullivan on the future of data center cooling: A Q&A

  Dr .Bob Sullivan – the father of hot-aisle/cold-aisle data center design – weighs in on hot- and cold-aisle containment, data center economizers, and variable-frequency drive fans.

• May 20, 2010 20 May'10

  Rising to the CIO slot requires technology and people skills

  If you want to be promoted from an IT staff role to the CIO position, your key task is to drive business through technology innovation.

• May 06, 2010 06 May'10

  Data center cooling: Air-side and water-side economizers

  Air-side and water-side economizers can provide cost savings for data centers feeling the heat from rising energy bills.

• April 12, 2010 12 Apr'10

  Is IBM considering an OS/2 redo?

  IBM insiders want to relaunch the venerable OS/2 operating system, sources say. The question is whether it's a solution in search of a problem.

• February 04, 2010 04 Feb'10

  Green Grid hones PUE data center efficiency metric

  The Green Grid will address data center energy-efficiency issues at its annual forum, including power usage effectiveness (PUE) calculators, powering down unused servers and more.

• January 18, 2010 18 Jan'10

  Data center 2009 Products of the Year award winners

  What were the top data center products of 2009? Our panel of judges and IT managers weigh in on their favorite servers, systems management software and infrastructure products for enterprise data centers.

• January 18, 2010 18 Jan'10

  Data center hot-aisle/cold-aisle containment how-tos

  Data center hot-aisle/cold-aisle containment has gained traction. Here are key steps to consider for correct implementation.

• August 24, 2009 24 Aug'09

  Data center humidity levels source of debate

  Keeping your data center humidity at the right level can prevent system failure, but at what cost?

• July 27, 2009 27 Jul'09

  Amazon data center facility engineer touts radical cooling tactics

  Amazon Web Services data center facility guru James Hamilton says data center pros need to get out of the dark ages when it comes to cooling servers. Hamilton recommends airflow containment systems and air-side economizers to improve data center ...

• July 14, 2009 14 Jul'09

  Mainframe savings with zIIP, zAAP could go beyond DB2 and Java

  By using mainframe specialty engines for more than just DB2 and Java workloads, mainframe users could save millions of dollars a year.

• June 29, 2009 29 Jun'09

  Hot-aisle vs. cold-aisle containment: Liebert and APC face off

  If you're considering hot-aisle containment or cold-aisle containment for your data center, you need to listen to this faceoff between Liebert and APC on which approach is better.

• May 27, 2009 27 May'09

  Lower disaster recovery costs with open source replication tools

  Lower the cost of disaster recovery replication with open source DR tools like Rsync and distributed replicated block device, or DRBD.

• May 22, 2009 22 May'09

  Data center operations and maintenance best practices for critical facilities

  This tip discusses best practices associated with the operations and maintenance (O&M) processes for data center facilities, including the physical aspects of critical infrastructures, staffing considerations, and appropriate O&M processes, tools, ...

• May 13, 2009 13 May'09

  Choosing the best x86 server for your data center

  All x86 servers are not equal. What are the criteria for buying x86 servers? Consider application characteristics, memory, power usage and other factors when selecting a commodity server vendor.

• March 27, 2009 27 Mar'09

  How data centers cope with the economic downturn

  With the economic downturn, data centers face serious budget cuts. Recent survey data indicates they have turned to server virtualization to reduce server spending and power consumption as well as IT automation to address staff reductions.

• March 05, 2009 05 Mar'09

  Mainframe users share z/OS 1.10 stories

  Attendees at the Share mainframe user group conference in Austin discuss early experiences with z/OS 1.10, which was released six months ago.

• February 20, 2009 20 Feb'09

  Is Uptime Institute's data center tier system worth it?

  The Uptime Institute's data center tier system has long been a mainstay in determining high availability. But does certification matter, or is it too strict to work?

• February 09, 2009 09 Feb'09

  Measuring and reporting data center PUE

  Publicizing a data center's energy efficiency with the power usage effectiveness metric involves factors other than facility and IT equipment energy levels.

• January 27, 2009 27 Jan'09

  Data center temperature range expanded: Who cares?

  The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-conditioning Engineers has expanded its recommended data center temperature and humidity ranges. But do users care?

• January 21, 2009 21 Jan'09

  Data center air-conditioning fans blow cost savings your way

  It may not be your first thought, but design and speed control of data center air-conditioner fans can generate significant savings.

• November 12, 2008 12 Nov'08

  How will data centers weather the economic downturn?

  IT operations will be under increasing pressure in the current economic downturn. Data center professionals and experts offer advice for weathering this financial crunch.

• November 04, 2008 04 Nov'08

  HP announces Dynamic Power Capping for ProLiant servers

  The new Dynamic Power Capping feature enables data center managers to set a power threshold based on how much power a server uses.

• October 20, 2008 20 Oct'08

  Welsh data center expected to be Europe's most advanced

  Welsh entrepreneurs have recently transformed vacant data center space into the power-packed Next Generation Data Center 1 facility. But once NGD 1 built, will they come?

• September 05, 2008 05 Sep'08

  Hot-aisle/cold-aisle containment stokes fire-code issues

  Containing a data center's hot and cold aisles in may create energy-efficiency savings, but the design strategy can leave a facility vulnerable to fire detection and suppression issues.

• July 15, 2008 15 Jul'08

  For Linux security, principle of least privilege prevails, says Red Hat security expert

  A Linux security expert outlines best practices, from granting admins the least system access possible to the importance of system audits and when to turn on listening daemons.

• May 20, 2008 20 May'08

  Companies reuse data center waste heat to improve energy efficiency

  Two companies have found ways to save on energy costs by reuse data center waste heat. Quebecor now heats adjoining rooms; IBM Switzerland, a swimming pool.

• May 05, 2008 05 May'08

  NYSE unplugs last mainframe and reduces cost, speeds transactions

  To reduce costs and improve trade times, the New York Stock Exchange migrated from mainframes to Linux and AIX servers. But the shift to new scripting languages posed hurdles.

• February 04, 2008 04 Feb'08

  Limiting vibrations in data center design

  Building a new data center? If so, check out Structural and Vibration Guidelines for Datacom Equipment Centers, which details considerations and factors for data center design when it comes to shock and vibrations.

  The book was published by the...

• November 19, 2007 19 Nov'07

  ASHRAE to expand recommended data center humidity, temp ranges

  The heating and cooling group ASHRAE may expand its recommended ranges to better align with IT manufacturers' recommendations. One user says it's about time.

• November 06, 2007 06 Nov'07

  IBM mainframe to be replaced by Oracle and Unix for ERP app

  Arrow Electronics is moving off its internally developed mainframe enterprise resource planning apps for Oracle and swapping out an IBM mainframe for AIX running on System p.

• October 18, 2007 18 Oct'07

  The data center EPO button: Is it even necessary?

  Depending on your environment, the red emergency power-off button in your data center might be an unnecessary evil.

• October 17, 2007 17 Oct'07

  Server enhancements, security top Ubuntu 7.10 release

  With the release of Ubuntu 7.10 and its new features, ISVs and enterprise customers are finally taking notice and using the OS in significant server deployments.

• August 20, 2007 20 Aug'07

  IBM to sell Sun Solaris on x86 and mainframes; pigs fly

  Last week's announcement that IBM will support and sell subscriptions for Solaris on its System x servers and mainframes has industry analysts aflutter.

• July 25, 2007 25 Jul'07

  HP Thermal Zone Mapping plots data center hot spots

  Hewlett-Packard Co. has announced Thermal Zone Mapping, a 3-D image of a data center's power and cooling profile, which may add momentum to their push for more blade servers in the data center.

• May 14, 2007 14 May'07

  NYSE undertakes IBM mainframe migration to Unix and Linux

  By moving from a 1,600 MIPS mainframe to distributed systems, the stock exchange is cutting transaction costs in half.

• May 03, 2007 03 May'07

  Five ways SELinux may surprise you

  In the column that follows, author and SELinux expert Frank Mayer will walk you through five of the ways that this venerable Linux security technology may surprise you.

• May 01, 2007 01 May'07

  Dell to offer Ubuntu Linux desktops and laptops

  After months of speculation, Dell Inc. officially announced it will sell pre-installed, 100% certified Ubuntu Linux on its laptop and desktop computers.

• May 01, 2007 01 May'07

  Before upgrading to quad-core, consider your applications

  The new quad-core chips are designed to increase performance, but not all applications need -- or can use -- multiple cores.

• April 23, 2007 23 Apr'07

  Sun servers, storage and services on sale

  Sun is selling select Sun Fire and UltraSPARC servers at deep discounts in honor of its 25th anniversary.

• April 11, 2007 11 Apr'07

  Ubuntu Linux: To the server side and beyond?

  Is a perfect storm brewing for Ubuntu? The combo of a renewed push for Ubuntu on the server and new thin client support could spark interest in IT managers looking for less expensive alternatives to Red Hat and Windows.

• March 12, 2007 12 Mar'07

  HP keeps its Linux edge with BladeSystem

  As HP's reign atop the Linux server heap continues, one company exec explains how its BladeSystem and Linux can keep it competitive with IBM in the blade server space.

• February 28, 2007 28 Feb'07

  Microsoft Windows ousted at California school district

  After a few speed bumps, the Windsor School District is on track to all but eliminate Microsoft Windows in favor of Novell SUSE Linux servers and desktops.

• January 09, 2007 09 Jan'07

  Study ranks cheapest places to build a data center

  In a new study focusing on the healthcare industry, the Midwest once again came on top as one of the most affordable places to build a data center.

• July 05, 2006 05 Jul'06

  Mainframe conversion to Web services

  IBM offers an extensive set of tools for Web-service conversion.

• March 28, 2006 28 Mar'06

  Target builds a better data center

  Just five years after Target built a new data center, it's building another one to keep up with company growth. Target technical architect Doug Hall says data center designers are smarter today because they learn from each other.

• March 14, 2006 14 Mar'06

  Opinion: Five reasons why you should never use PostgreSQL -- ever

  In an effort to dispel some FUD, Jason Gilmore's opines on several of the most commonplace reasons for not investigating PostgreSQL.

• February 01, 2006 01 Feb'06

  Making sense of metrics

  Metrics focus employees' attention on the tasks and processes that executives deem most critical to the success of the business. Metrics are like levers that executives can pull to move the organization in new and different directions. In fact, ...

• January 16, 2006 16 Jan'06

  GNU GPL initiative takes on licensing threats

  At the first International Conference on GPLv3, Free Software Foundation founder Richard Stallman laid out the plan of attack for changing the leading open source license to fit the times.

• December 19, 2005 19 Dec'05

  Xen virtualization quickly becoming open source 'killer app'

  As 2005 approaches its conclusion, it would appear that virtualization's time in the open source spotlight is all but here.

• December 06, 2005 06 Dec'05

  Geek humor: Dating design patterns

  What if everything you knew about design patterns, or elements of reusable object-oriented software, was a lie?