Problem solve

Problem solve

Get help with specific problems with your technologies, process and projects.

• Fine-tune hypervisor settings to optimize network performance

  Simply adjusting a hypervisor's configuration settings can quickly optimize network performance. This tip describes steps you can take to improve data center operations. Continue Reading

• Safer failover testing procedures for the data center

  Haphazard failover testing can be dangerous, but you can minimize the potential risk of data loss or corruption by following a few straightforward procedures. Continue Reading

• Don't misuse VMware High-Availability technology

  VMware High Availability is a valuable tool, but data center managers should not overlook its limitations as a disaster recovery solution. Continue Reading

• Blade servers: An introduction and overview

  Blade servers add muscle to demanding workloads and virtual data centers, but they also pose some concerns, including power consumption and management complexity. Continue Reading

• Choosing the right server for mission-critical applications

  Planning ahead when selecting a server for mission-critical applications can help you recognize virtualization opportunities and identify potential points of failure. Continue Reading

• Best practices for backup power maintenance

  Testing generators and inspecting batteries are just part of maintaining a backup power system that can help prevent unexpected data center downtime.Continue Reading

• Optimizing Linux for SSD usage

  Default Linux settings won't allow you to take advantage of SSD performance gains. Learn four ways to optimize SSD performance on your Linux system in this tip.Continue Reading

• Turning to 2U, 4U servers in virtualized data centers

  As managers virtualize their data centers, they often turn to larger 2U and 4U servers for better performance. But these form factors can also pose challenges for administrators.Continue Reading

• The data center humidity conundrum

  There are several measures for data center humidity, including relative humidity and dew point temperature, and knowing which ones to use can extend hardware life.Continue Reading

• Data center management for geographically split data centers

  Geographically split data centers can reduce disaster recovery time to zero, but splitting data centers requires an intelligent network and savvy data center management.Continue Reading

• Using Vagrant with Puppet to create VirtualBox hosts

  Vagrant integrates with Puppet and Chef to automate configuration management to build VirtualBox hosts. Linux systems admins can use this technology for quickly creating development hosts and production hosts.Continue Reading

• The problems with code reuse

  Reading this set of guidelines before considering code reuse could facilitate system management and reduce performance errors.Continue Reading

• A server processors roadmap for 2011 and beyond: Intel vs. AMD

  As AMD and Intel make plans to improve its server processors, efficiency and superior virtualization capabilities will make these technologies more powerful than ever.Continue Reading

• Performance tweaks for virtualization technologies

  Understanding virtualization technologies and properly allocating resources is vital to achieving optimal performance in a virtual environment.Continue Reading

• Setting up a centralized Linux log server

  One of the many benefits of using Linux as a central logging server is that you can set up logging via syslog. Syslog allows messages to be sent over the network to a centralized log host, which is the ideal scenario for managing logging.Continue Reading

• Data center management using DCIM tools

  DCIM tools can help facilitate data center management and energy monitoring, but DCIM software does not come without its own set of challenges and limitations.Continue Reading

• Using DCIM tools to monitor data center power

  Although DCIM tools include many capabilities for monitoring data center power and facilitating data center management, you should know their associated costs before implementing projects.Continue Reading

• Exploring the features of the XFS file system on Linux

  The XFS file system has been designed to deal with high file volumes and large files more efficiently. Find out how the file system manages these files, and when it might be appropriate to use this file system on your Linux servers instead of Ext3 ...Continue Reading

• Tips on implementing a data center cabling infrastructure

  Unravel a cabling mess with these tips on implementing an effective data center cabling infrastructure. An expert shows you how to decide between three different cabling methods.Continue Reading

• Comparing various network cable types for your data center

  Choosing the right network cable type is a big part of an effective data center cabling infrastructure, and quantity and quality are key points to consider when choosing.Continue Reading

• New DB2 V10 features and performance

  DB2 V10 addresses issues that previous versions experienced and includes new features, such as temporal tables and subgroups.Continue Reading

• Improving IT help desk services with vendor support

  In the world of IT help desk services, customer demand is insatiable, but proper integration of vendor support and cultivation of vendor relationships can ease tough expectations.Continue Reading

• Puppet 2.6.x: Using new features

  The popular open source enterprise systems management tool, Puppet, has been updated in 2.6.0 and 2.6.5. Learn about the new features and see how they work with sample code.Continue Reading

• Strategies for planning a data center move

  If you have plans to relocate your mainframe shop, remember that the best data center move strategies include careful testing and a team that's both business- and tech-savvy.Continue Reading

• Spotting undervalued server features

  Some lesser-known server features can boost 1U server performance. But beware configuration challenges that cause server overheating or, worse, a performance tailspin.Continue Reading

• Tactics for extending server life

  With new technologies and just a little planning, data center managers can eke even more value from existing server investments.Continue Reading

• Increasing network bandwidth available to virtual machines

  These three tips on increasing the amount of network bandwidth available to your VMs, including virtual network creation, can also potentially increase a host server's VM density.Continue Reading

• Addressing data center power failure and its root causes

  Data center downtime is most often a result of human error. But with proper capacity planning and battery selection, among other steps, a data center power failure can be averted.Continue Reading

• Deciding when to use Linux file system barriers

  Linux file system barriers in Ext3 and Ext4 protect data written to the journal. Learn how these barriers work and in which use cases they are a benefit, and in which cases you should disable them on your Linux servers.Continue Reading

• Doing business with Apache OFBiz: Open source ERP solution

  Many large sucessful enterprises use Apache OFBiz as their ERP solution. Find out how to get started with this open source tool for your e-business.Continue Reading

• SELinux tutorial: Commands and management

  Learn some key commands in SELinux and some user and port management tools to get SELinux running on your Linux servers for a more secure environment.Continue Reading

• Addressing data center power path issues and common failure points

  The loss of power in the data center is often troublesome and unexpected, but knowing these common failure points and ways to mitigate power path issues can ease the burden.Continue Reading

• Configuring load balancing with Linux Virtual Server

  Using Linux Virtual Server, learn how to configure load balancing to help avoid busy servers and achieve optimal resource utilization on your Linux system.Continue Reading

• Linux command line tricks: less, screen, pgrep HTTP servers and more

  Mastering the Linux command line can make a system administrator's job much easier. Learn these command line tricks including aliasing more to always be less, using pgrep, screen, tmux, and aspell as well as quickly creating an HTTP server for file ...Continue Reading

• Truths and reasoning behind mainframe modernization

  Mainframe modernization offers a host of benefits, including cost savings and preserving investments in legacy applications, but is it the best strategy for your IT department?Continue Reading

• Nagios notifications: Setting up alerts in the network monitoring tool

  In this tip on the open source network monitoring tool Nagios, learn how to set up custom configurations that can send Nagios notifications to admins at any time of the day.Continue Reading

• Five tips for negotiating IT support contracts with vendors

  With IT budgets slashed, now is the time for vendor negotiation to get the most bang for your contract buck. These five approaches can help lower IT support contract costs.Continue Reading

• SELinux tutorial: Configuring RHEL 5 and Web servers

  Configuring SELinux on RHEL 5 is easy using the GUI options. Learn how to set up SELinux using simple menu options and Boolean conditions in this tutorial. Also see how easy it is to secure Web servers such as Apache using SELinux.Continue Reading

• Blade server technology faces virtualization hit in the data center

  Blade server adoption in the data center has slowed for a variety of reasons, including the rise of virtualization and a wealth of hardware and network factors.Continue Reading

• Mainframe problem analysis: What's the worst that could happen?

  In this mainframe humor observation, an overconfident programmer gets more than he bargained for when he takes his shot at analyzing a TSO problem.Continue Reading

• Best practices for VM workload management, resource allocation

  Effective VM workload management practices such as setting metrics can help you achieve the most efficient workloads and avoid the mistake of over-allocating resources to a VM.Continue Reading

• The 2011 enterprise IT job market: Predictions and areas for growth

  While 2010 was big for virtualization in the data center, the IT job market this year will see a surge in demand for cloud architecture and security knowledge, among other skills.Continue Reading

• Working with Linux file system attributes

  File system attributes can provide a valuable addition to the way you ensure security on your Linux server. Learn how to mount, list and change file system attributes in ext4.Continue Reading

• Three options for data storage management that combat sprawl

  Lower costs make it tempting to add more storage to a network, but poor integration can lead to storage sprawl. These three data storage management options could be the fix.Continue Reading

• Ganeti clustered virtualization on Linux

  Ganeti is a tool for managing virtual instances across a cluster. Learn how to install this open source cluster-management tool on your Linux system using Xen as the hypervisor, and get it to work on a two-node cluster.Continue Reading

• Building massively distributed applications with Hadoop

  Hadoop has become the de facto solution for distributed data processing. Learn about how this open source project from the Apache Software Foundation creates reliable, scalable, distributed computing, and its four subprojects: Hadoop Common, HDFS, ...Continue Reading

• Six performance-optimizing VDI solutions for the data center

  Enthusiasm for virtual desktop infrastructure can be a moot point if your data center isn't optimized for VDI performance. But these six VDI solutions can help in the process.Continue Reading

• SELinux tutorial: Introduction to Linux kernel security

  SELinux may seem too complex for some administrators who instead disable the useful Linux kernel security tool. Learn how SELinux works, including how subjects and objects work and security policy settings.Continue Reading

• SAN technology considerations for data center virtualization

  While storage area networks (SANs) are key in a virtualization rollout, one company found that problems can arise when an initial SAN deployment isn't properly planned.Continue Reading

• Two forgotten but useful CICS transactions

  While CICS has evolved its system interface, the lesser-known CICS transactions ADYN and CSFE can still be useful for debugging and other tasks.Continue Reading

• Does DC power win the direct current vs. alternating current debate?

  In the debate over direct current vs. alternating current, AC power is considered less risky. But should data centers reconsider the potential cost-saving benefits of DC power?Continue Reading

• Setting up MindTouch document management on a Linux system

  MindTouch is an open source document management system alternative to SharePoint and other commercial software. In this tip, learn how to set up MindTouch on a Linux server, using CentOS 5.5 as the example system.Continue Reading

• RHEL 6 ditches System V init for Upstart: What Linux admins need to know

  System V init is fading to a memory in Linux boot systems as the new Linux disdribution releases, such as Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6, switch to using Upstart. Learn what is different with this boot service and how to work with it to get your Linux ...Continue Reading

• Open source Web content control options

  Setting up Web filters to control the content employees and customers using your Linux network can access is an important part of securing your Linux system. Learn about some open source solutions for network and desktop Linux content control.Continue Reading

• Tackling server virtualization storage problems

  Server virtualization can lower IT costs but may create the need for more storage in virtual environments. Learn tips on how to solve server virtualization storage problems.Continue Reading

• Neon zPrime, IBM battle in limbo

  With the Neon zPrime and IBM legal scuffle at a stalemate after several suits, one mainframe expert ponders whether Big Blue or Neon will eventually emerge the stronger party.Continue Reading

• Optimizing SUSE Linux performance for VMware environments

  Learn how to optimize Suse Linux Enterprise Server (SLES) on VMware by optimizing VMware and SUSE. For better performance, switch to VMware's paravirtualization disk driver and adjust I/O settings in SUSE along with changing the journal settings.Continue Reading

• Using hardware instrumentation services to get CPU-MF output

  In this tip, a mainframe expert outlines how to use hardware instrumentation services to obtain CPU Measurement Facility output on the mainframe.Continue Reading

• Installing and setting up OpenERP 6.0

  OpenERP 6.0 provides open source enterprise resource planning software alternative to Oracle and SAP, perfect for businesses dealing with tightening IT budgets. Learn how to install and modify the software for your business.Continue Reading

• Bash commands for navigation, sharing, and find

  Learn how to use Bash on a Linux server to change command line navigation, switch around in directories, file first redirection, three find commands, and how to show people the command line without giving them access through rerouting.Continue Reading

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux security mechanisms: SELinux, iptables and more

  When setting up Red Hat Enterprise Linux on your data center servers, you need to make security decisions. Learn about security options for RHEL including SELinux, iptables firewall, TCP Wrapper and application security use considerations.Continue Reading

• 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.Continue Reading

• Four ways to reduce data center power consumption

  Data center managers can cut their utility bills by following these four steps to reducing data center power consumption.Continue Reading

• TurnKey Linux Hub makes fast work of cloud appliance management

  With cloud appliance management a growing issue, TurnKey Linux Hub makes effective management simple with the ability to deploy and manage Linux appliances to Amazon's EC2.Continue Reading

• Is it time for a data center hardware refresh?

  Options are plentiful when you're considering whether to refresh older data center hardware, even when IT budgets are not.Continue Reading

• Creating an inventory with nmap network scanning

  Nmap network scanning generates a full system inventory, but it's only usable with the right parameters and output format. Learn how to create an nmap inventory in this tip.Continue Reading

• Do columnar databases have a future in the mainframe?

  IBM has included Smart Analystics Optimizer, a columnar appliance, in its latest zEnterprise mainframe. Will columnar technology help keep the mainframe relevant?Continue Reading

• Physical security threats to your Linux systems

  Strong Linux network security can be meaningless if physical security is compromised. In this tip, a security expert outlines some common Linux physical security threats.Continue Reading

• Mounting file system resources with AutoFS

  AutoFS allows resources to be mounted on an as-needed basis, simplifying the management of NFS shares. This tip walks you through the process of setting up AutoFS.Continue Reading

• Incorporating adiabatic humidification into your data center

  Adiabatic humidification is a more energy-efficient means of providing humidity to data centers, and this tip outlines the steps to incorporating it into your data center.Continue Reading

• Monitoring and optimizing host server performance

  Application performance is even more important in physical servers that share multiple VMs, so ongoing monitoring and optimization of virtual host servers should be routine in any virtual data centerContinue Reading

• Making the most of server maintenance contracts

  When trying to obtain the most value from your servers, watching terms and doing homework on server maintenance contracts can save at the negotiating table.Continue Reading

• Converting XML to data structures using the CICS TRANSFORM command

  This tip explains how to use the new CICS TRANSFORM command for converting XML to data structures and vice versa.Continue Reading

• The pros and cons of cloud computing migration

  IT managers should consider the pros and cons of cloud computing migration, and find a balance between the rewards and risks associated with moving a data center to the cloud.Continue Reading

• Working with the z10 CPU Measurement Facility

  The new z10 CPU Measurement Facility can provide valuable processor information for debugging and measuring performance, but there's a catch.Continue Reading

• Linux debugging with SystemTap dynamic instrumentation

  In this tip, learn how SystemTap’s highly scriptable dynamic instrumentation has an edge over traditional Linux server debugging and performance monitoring.Continue Reading

• Setting up a syslog server in Linux

  A central logging server can make it easier to manage logs. In this tip, learn how to collect and centralize syslog messages from your hosts onto one syslog server in Linux.Continue Reading

• Determining cloud TCO vs. in-house IT costs

  If you think cloud TCO is measured solely by a reduction in up-front costs, you're oversimplifying the equation. Learn how to measure the true value of cloud services in this tip.Continue Reading

• Zenity tutorial: How to automate Linux admin scripting

  In this Zenity tutorial for Linux admins, learn how to set up Zenity and use its dialogs to automate scripting.Continue Reading

• What will a buyout mean for Novell users and product support?

  With rumors that a deal has been reached on the sale of Novell, who are the most likely buyers of its various product lines, and what should Novell users consider about product support?Continue Reading

• Using your Linux server to create an ad-hoc wireless network

  In this tutorial, an expert explains how to set up an ad-hoc wireless network access point with your Linux server.Continue Reading

• Uptime, TIA and BICSI: Who runs the data center design standards show?

  With three major players in the game, where should you look for data center design standards? This tip discusses the similarities and differences between the Uptime Institute tier system, TIA-942 and BICSI 002-2010.Continue Reading

• Nagios setup: Installing and configuring the network monitoring tool

  Nagios is an open source network monitoring tool that can be used in all major Linux distributions. This tip covers the basics of Nagios setup, from installation to configuration, using OpenSUSE 11.2 as the example OS.Continue Reading

• Common Linux security policy management gaps

  Linux security is commonly overlooked in IT security policies, especially when management is out of touch with what’s happening on the ground.Continue Reading

• Sharing Windows files with the Linux CIFS client

  It can be surprisingly easy to share files between Linux and Windows with the Linux CIFS client. In this tip, learn how to install the Samba client and set up CIFS on Linux.Continue Reading

• Kerberos authentication in RHEL: Easing Windows-Linux integration

  Kerberos authentication for CIFS offers easier Windows-Linux integration. In this tip, learn how Kerberos authentication works and how to set it up in Red Hat Enterprise Linux.Continue Reading

• Unix overview: The latest features in AIX, HP-UX and Solaris

  Each of the major Unix versions have been updated with useful new features recently. In this overview, get up to date on the features you should know about in the latest releases of IBM AIX, Hewlett-Packard's HP-UX and Oracle's Solaris.Continue Reading

• Working with control area reclaim in z/OS 1.12

  In this tip, a mainframe expert discusses control area reclaim, an improvement IBM made to VSAM with the release of z/OS 1.12.Continue Reading

• Four reasons to consider iSCSI storage in the enterprise

  Today's iSCSI storage has come a long way toward being ready to use with critical data center applications. This tip offers four reasons to consider iSCSI storage in your enterprise.Continue Reading

• Measuring and tuning mainframe performance on z196

  Tuning mainframes for z/OS is tough with the new z196 system, but knowing how to measure memory locality of reference can ease some of the burden in optimizing mainframe performance.Continue Reading

• Using Webmin for Linux administration tasks

  Linux administration can be repetitive, even grueling. But you can eliminate the pain of some everyday Linux administration tasks, including account lockout, by using Webmin.Continue Reading

• 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.Continue Reading

• The IT chargeback system in a virtual data center

  Managing chargeback can be a difficult task. Multiple company departments may share server hardware in a virtual data center. Learn how to implement an IT chargeback system that charges departments for resources fairly.Continue Reading

• Moving to Fibre Channel over Ethernet in the data center

  High data center demands require an efficient network to move data efficiently. Learn why Fibre Channel over Ethernet may be a good networking technology option, and how to make the switch.Continue Reading

• Server virtualization training and education needed for successful virtualization rollouts

  Virtualization technology is still a long way from Plug-and-Play. Successful virtualization rollouts need staff with the proper education and skills, and IT admins need to understand when it's time to add staff or tinker with the training.Continue Reading

• Displaying Puppet reports on Puppet Dashboard

  Managing configurations with Puppet just got easier. In this tip, learn how to display your Puppet reports on the Puppet Dashboard GUI.Continue Reading

• Three signs that it's time to change server vendors

  Picking a server vendor is no easy task, and a lot more goes into the decision than just choosing the low-cost option. Also, unless a server vendor can adapt to a company's needs over time, it may be time to make a switch. Learn the red flags that...Continue Reading

• Optimizing Linux swap space usage

  Today's powerful servers with plenty of RAM can make swap space seem like a thing of the past, but knowing how much you need can help keep your system running smoothly.Continue Reading

• Managing CICS performance with Workload Manager

  Workload Manager is a useful tool for easily managing CICS performance on the mainframe. This tip details how CICS and WLM interact with one another and how to use WLM to manage CICS response times.Continue Reading

• Installing Webmin modules for Linux administration

  Webmin brings Linux administration tasks together under one umbrella. Learn how to install and configure Webmin modules to customize the package for your particular administrative needs.Continue Reading