Problem solve

Problem solve

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

• Disaster recovery on the mainframe: New options for site recovery

  Disaster recovery on the mainframe now includes data recovery support such as redundancy and failover. But disaster recovery planning still requires some strategic effort to properly execute a site recovery. Continue Reading

• Identity management and single sign-on (SSO)

  Learn about the challenges of identity management and how deploying single sign-on (SSO) can solve some of those issues, using popular programs like Kerberos, JA-SIG CAS and LDAP. Continue Reading

• Mainframe change management tools ease compliance burden

  Mainframes host a bulk of the critical data important to compliance auditors, but data center managers have had to rely on brute force and aging tools. Continue Reading

• $ PATH vs. pwd

  An expert describes the difference between two shell commands, $ PATH and pwd. Continue Reading

• Compiling OpenSSH on Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn Server

  Find out how to compile OpenSSH on the latest version of Ubuntu, Ubuntu 7.04 Feisty Fawn Server, to get safely connected to your remote servers. Continue Reading

• Improving Snort performance with Barnyard

  Increasing the speed and efficiency of intrusion-detection system application Snort means reduced false positives and more focus on actual threats. You can do this with Barnyard, a third-party application that leaves Snort with more capacity to scan...Continue Reading

• PostgreSQL or MySQL: Which is faster?

  There isn't always a clear-cut answer in the race between dueling databases, PostgreSQL and MySQL, says an expert. Find out his thoughts and how the two compare.Continue Reading

• Google Docs vs. OpenOffice

  An office suite expert recommends breaking spreadsheets into smaller pieces for sharing between users.Continue Reading

• Cable remediation in the data center

  Cable remediation in the data center is a viable strategy for ameliorating inefficiencies caused by years of data center server add ons, moves and changes.Continue Reading

• Unix-Linux printing

  Interoperability is easier than separating systems your systems and isn't something you should be afraid of, says one expert. Find out how to set up printing between Unix and Linux using Linux's LPR utility and Unix's SMIT in this tip.Continue Reading

• Mainframe capacity planning: More than MIPS

  Capacity planning is a well understood, strategic exercise. But data center managers need to consider strategic versus tactical performance planning to keep high-priority workloads running without problems.Continue Reading

• Bastille Linux: Introduction and installation

  Bastille Linux is an automated security tool, ideal for cross-platform environments. Get started here with an introduction and instructions for installation.Continue Reading

• Data center consolidation, virtualization: Ultra-dense server deployments

  Combining blade server, virtualization and SAN technologies in the data center leads to ultra-dense server deployments, which can save on hardware costs and power.Continue Reading

• Printer sharing between Windows and Linux

  Figure out how to connect your Windows machines to a shared printer as a network device from your Linux box in this tip.Continue Reading

• CICS program list tables: PLTPI and PLTSD programs

  CICS expert Robert Crawford describes the two types of program list tables (PLT)Continue Reading

• MySQL full outer join workaround

  A MySQL expert offers a workaround for the lack of syntax support for full outer joins.Continue Reading

• Managing high-volume CPU processes with Bash

  Learn how to use and modify a simple Bash script to alert you when CPU processes reach abnormally high levels.Continue Reading

• SUSE Linux administration: How to set up a cluster file system

  Setting up OCFS2 as a shared file system in a cluster environment helps when multiple nodes have to write to the same file system concurrently. Learn how to do it with SLES10.Continue Reading

• Badge systems for entry and tracking in the data center

  Expert JP Callahan explores the world of badge system entry to the data center and reminds users to always back their security technology with a good process,i.e. two-factor authentication.Continue Reading

• Using AppArmor on Red Hat

  A user wonders whether it is possible to use AppArmor in the place of SELinux on Red Hat Enterprise Linux 4 and learns about both security tools.Continue Reading

• Linux/Unix commands: How to get copy, conversion power with dd

  Learn how to use dd, a Linux command for handling convert-and-copy tasks. An expert shows how to clone your hard drive, create a backup of your Master Backup Record and increase your swap space.Continue Reading

• MySQL Enterprise vs. MySQL Community

  The differences between MySQL Enterprise and MySQL Community.Continue Reading

• Migrating Microsoft Works databases to OpenOffice Base

  A reader asks for advice on migrating from Microsoft Works databases to OpenOffice's Base.Continue Reading

• Enterprise redundancy using VRRP

  Get started using Virtual Router Redundancy Protocol (VRRP), a standard used in enterprise environments where routing redundancy is necessary for host stations. VRRP can provide additional availability to help reduce router failure on your Linux ...Continue Reading

• CICS trace: Getting started, formatting and externalizing

  CICS expert Robert Crawford describes the handy CICS trace tool and gives code for externalizing its output.Continue Reading

• Managing events with Nagios Event Broker

  Use modules with Nagios Event Broker, a server event output and integration tool, for receiving events and executing code on them. In this tip, you'll learn how NEB functions, what modules are available and how to find other modules.Continue Reading

• Data center cooling strategies: Overheating server prevention

  Five strategies from Syska Hennessy data center cooling experts, Christopher Johnston and Vali Sorell, for preventing servers from overheating.Continue Reading

• Running Windows as a VM on Linux with VMware Server

  If you don't want to spend money on an expensive Citrix setup for running Windows and Linux, then try running Windows as a virtual machine (VM) on Linux with VMware Server.Continue Reading

• Advanced Intrusion Detection Environment vs. Tripwire

  What is the difference between Advanced Intrusion Detection Environment and Tripwire?Continue Reading

• How to determine data center cabling requirements

  What is the best choice for data center cabling? With many data center cabling standards now defined, the choices are clearer.Continue Reading

• Migrating Microsoft Internet Information Server to Apache on Red Hat Linux

  If you're moving to Apache server from Microsoft Internet Information Server, be aware that this migration involves more than just copying files. In this tip, users will learn how to move a site from IIS to Apache on Red Hat, although this is ...Continue Reading

• Calculating costs of data center cabling infrastructure

  In part two of our series on data center cabling decisions, data center infrastructure expert Carrie Higbie offers a cost calculator for determining TCO on a cabling project.Continue Reading

• NFPA 75: Raised floor fire protection

  Utilizing separate suppression 'zones' for both above floor and sub-floor spaces is a common practice in areas where the subfloor contains a significant hazard/fuel load.Continue Reading

• The pros and cons of IPsec

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• Data center raised floors and ceiling height

  In this question, Bob McFarlane explains the benefits and drawbacks to different data center designs pertaining to cooling and airflow.Continue Reading

• What's the difference between a COLD start and a WARM start in CICS?

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