Tips

Tips

SDN and other network strategies

• A look at software-defined networking upgrade guidelines

  SDN brings the benefit of a mostly software-based update process. However, admins still must consider which updates are necessary and if a hardware refresh is required.  Continue Reading

• Learn the basics of ACI network technology

  Application-centric infrastructure is one way to support an SDN setup. By learning the basics, admins can manage networks with automation and data abstraction.  Continue Reading

• 4 steps for a smooth SDN installation

  Software-defined infrastructure can be tricky to implement. Automation, vendor-supported hardware and skilled developers are essential for smooth updates.  Continue Reading

• Prepare your organization for 100G data center Ethernet

  Leaf-spine topologies, Ethernet and optics research are driving the next generation of data center networking infrastructure. Stay ahead of the curve with these technologies.  Continue Reading

• A multi-tenant data center offers SDN challenges, benefits

  SDN controllers offer segmentation in a multi-tenant data center. Understand how to configure the right network flow to isolate traffic, and explore potential pitfalls of SDN.  Continue Reading

• SDDC architecture brings host of new management, staffing hurdles

  There are many advantages to SDDC adoption, but concerns over management tools and evolving IT skill sets have hampered deployment -- at least so far.  Continue Reading

• SD-WAN architecture demands new network management approach

  SD-WAN is becoming a crucial part of data center infrastructure, helping admins reduce manual configuration efforts. Ensure your network management strategy reflects that shift.  Continue Reading

• Explore fiber optic cable types and their effects on the data center

  When evaluating fiber optic cable types, network admins should carefully consider their bandwidth, compatibility and troubleshooting requirements.  Continue Reading

• SD-WAN, NFV deployment leads software-defined networking charge

  An SD-WAN or NFV deployment can cut costs and simplify network management. Discover how these two software-defined networking technologies can work in your data center.  Continue Reading

• Leaf-spine architecture meets new data center traffic demands

  Leaf-spine architectures are becoming more popular as businesses attempt to ease data center traffic flow, reduce latency and minimize bottlenecks.  Continue Reading

• Find alternatives to rip-and-replace with a server upgrade checklist

  As storage and network technology advances, a server upgrade can be a more effective approach than a complete replacement.  Continue Reading

• HCI can pave the way to a software-defined platform

  To achieve a true software-defined data center, IT teams need to piece together multiple technologies. Hyper-converged infrastructure might be able to help.  Continue Reading

• SD-WAN benefits create serious competition for MPLS

  SD-WAN architecture offers features that reduce operational costs and simplify deployment models. Learn how to take advantage of SD-WAN benefits and navigate its potential downfalls.  Continue Reading

• Cloud data transfer remains sticking point in hybrid cloud model

  The blending of in-house and public clouds is challenging, but special attention to networking and data management ensures a smooth implementation to the hybrid cloud model.  Continue Reading

• Draw up a data center network diagram you'll actually use

  Creating a data center network diagram is time-consuming but necessary work. Keep the scope narrow and know the priorities of your diagram to save time and energy.  Continue Reading

• Software-defined applications and infrastructure explained

  The inner mechanics of today's software-defined applications and infrastructure reveal an interconnected web of isolated components and scalable resources, supervised by automated management.  Continue Reading

• Allocate IT resources for big data and IoT-based projects

  Companies embarking on new big data and IoT-based projects would do well to critically examine the necessary processing power, memory, storage and networking resources involved, and how to best make use of the required capacity.  Continue Reading

• Enterprise server architectures headed for a shake up

  After a few humdrum years, server architectures are in for big changes to close out the decade.  Continue Reading

• Adopt this battle-tested IT implementation plan

  New business initiatives live or die by the quality of their IT implementation plan. Experienced IT teams share their methodology.  Continue Reading

• Automated infrastructure management untangles cabling

  Cable management typically requires cumbersome manual approaches. As the pace of data center operations accelerates, automation must infiltrate the cable infrastructure.  Continue Reading

• Give the Linux quagga router a try for SDN

  The open source quagga router is garnering attention as a flexible choice for SDN. It's easy to set up with the right hardware.  Continue Reading

• Small updates meet big data center requirements

  Not all IT infrastructure projects require a large budget and lengthy schedule. These relatively inexpensive updates boost performance and reliability.  Continue Reading

• How to tell if OpenStack infrastructure is right for you

  Your data center may -- or may not -- need a flexible open-source cloud. Is your facility ready to handle the infrastructure overhaul of storage and hardware?  Continue Reading

• Avoid common server racking issues

  Increasing physical demands of modern IT gear can pose problems for classic rack enclosures. Watch for these factors when buying new racks or equipment.  Continue Reading

• Resolve a network bottleneck with these techniques

  Data center network performance problems will disappear with fixes from a simple reorganization through a strategic overhaul.  Continue Reading

• Pair up NFV and SDN with physical networking for standardization

  For an adaptable, modern network, combine SDN and NFV to tackle traditional flaws. Together, they fully integrate network components.  Continue Reading

• Comparing vendors' chassis server architecture scalability

  The Cisco UCS and IBM/ Lenovo Flex System approach network architecture in significantly different ways. What do you need from a chassis server?  Continue Reading

• Vulnerability scanner tools in the data center

  If you're wondering whether to use a software- or hardware-based network vulnerability scanner, take a look at your budget and network deployment.  Continue Reading

• MLAG installs flatten network without a forklift upgrade

  Hierarchical networks cause undue latency as well as bandwidth and port loss. MLAG removes potential STP problems and gives you a flatter pre-fabric network.  Continue Reading

• Meet the application-minded IT infrastructure architecture

  A core-and-pod architecture segments the data center's resources by application. Could your IT organization benefit from the scalability and automation that pods promise?  Continue Reading

• It's time for a software-defined networking architecture

  How do you prepare IT personnel and infrastructure for network virtualization? How do you ensure implementing SDN will pay off in saved time and effort? Start today.  Continue Reading

• Centralized versus rack-mount UPS in telecom rooms

  How does a rack-mount UPS stack up against a central data center UPS for telecom rooms? Money doesn't necessarily mean power.  Continue Reading

• SDN networks set cloud apart from the old data center

  SDN networks are dynamic, automated and segmented by software rather than physical routing. And they solve several common data center networking problems.  Continue Reading

• Security metrics examples to protect your data center

  Security isn't easy to quantify, like PUE or server utilization. But it is possible to apply metrics to improve data center gateway safety.  Continue Reading

• Kick application latency off your network

  Slow, fussy application? Run through this list of application latency and bandwidth fixes before spending the money to augment network capacity.  Continue Reading

• Protect access layers from BYOD node creep

  Bring your own device doesn't mean bring your own network support. What is BYOD doing to your data center's network resources?  Continue Reading

• The reality of software-defined computing

  Software-defined data centers are a brave new future or a vendor-created hype storm, depending on who you ask. Here's how it's likely to shake out.  Continue Reading

• Creating a reliable and fast SAN network design with iSCSI

  There are three tenets of designing an iSCSI network correctly. Proper iSCSI deployment yields affordable and reliable network access for the SAN.  Continue Reading

• Making SSL decryption and other networking choices in cloud deployments

  Cloud networking shakes up network infrastructure management, such as how an enterprise handles SSL decryption.  Continue Reading

• Changes in SDN technologies can improve network management

  SDN is evolving to ease anxieties caused by complicated network provisioning. Enterprises will be able to manage their networks more efficiently.  Continue Reading

• TCP offload's promises and limitations for enterprise networks

  TCP offload products free up limited CPU resources in network-intensive data centers. But TCP offload is no panacea and can introduce more problems.  Continue Reading

• Using TCP stack, segmentation, receive side scaling or checksum offload

  Smart network adapters offload RSS, checksum and other tasks from the server's CPU and noticeably improve performance if you choose features wisely.  Continue Reading

• Analyzing changes in IPv6 vs. IPv4 for data center networks

  Dual-stack network environments make things a lot more interesting, which is why you need to be ready for IPv6 today.  Continue Reading

• The right questions to ask about data center locations

  Data center relocation brings up a lot of questions. Here's how to determine the best locations for proprietary operations or colocation.  Continue Reading

• 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

• WAN optimizer technologies to counteract data center network hogs

  Off-site data hosting, rich media for business apps, and additional users will bog down your WAN. WAN optimizer and accelerator technologies can help.  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

• 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

• Five steps to take when the server is down

  Companies rely heavily on websites to transact business and stay in contact. Here's how to fix Web server issues and prevent future problems.  Continue Reading

• How to fix network holes and maintain a secure data center

  The key to a secure data center is diligence and monitoring. Here's how to lock down your network against incursion.  Continue Reading

• Use Windows NIC teaming to stay connected

  Sysadmins can boost throughput and achieve network resiliency through Windows Server 2012's native feature of NIC teaming.  Continue Reading

• SDNs promise to shake up networking industry

  Big networking industry names and start-ups have jumped into virtualised networking, hoping it will have the same impact as server virtualisation.  Continue Reading

• Cut-through versus store-and-forward in Ethernet switch architecture

  Switches in the data center can push frames using either store-and-forward or cut-through. Is one Ethernet switch architecture better than the other?  Continue Reading

• Network virtualization technology headed to the enterprise

  Movement to new network virtualization technology is taking shape, but vendors have to clear many hurdles before deployments take place.  Continue Reading

• Using overhead cables to tidy your data center: Ask the Expert podcast

  As data centers move away from tangled messes under the floor, overhead cables usher in a new era of visibility and tidiness.  Continue Reading

• Addressing data center issues and irritants: Advisory Board roundtable

  Our advisory board members discuss their biggest data center issues and irks — and ways to solve them — in this roundtable discussion.  Continue Reading

• Network infrastructure planning for a virtual environment

  It is important to plan for and develop a network infrastructure that can handle the I/O demands of a virtualized network.  Continue Reading

• 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

• Tactics for Managing iSCSI and Fibre Channel over Ethernet

  Fibre Channel over Ethernet and iSCSI are prompting data center managers to turn to copper Ethernet cabling for high-speed server-to-storage networking.  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

• 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

• WAN acceleration for data centers: How can it help you?

  WAN acceleration in the data center can prioritize critical business data into the fast lane over the network, improving application performance across the WAN.  Continue Reading

• Should you comply with Article 645 of the National Electrical Code?

  By complying with Article 645 in the National Electrical Code (NEC), data centers can bypass the most stringent requirements of Chapters 1 through 4 of the NEC. But compliance with Article 645 isn't a free pass – it comes with stricter fire ...  Continue Reading

• Best practices for data center cabling selection

  What are the primary data center cabling selection considerations? How do you choose between the many options? This tip will help you match up data center cabling to your application and budget needs.  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

• 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

• 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

• Power over Ethernet moves from the phone to the data center

  Power over Ethernet is being driven by VoIP, and it's cropping up in networking gear in the data center. Standards regarding how much power can be delivered to devices using PoE are currently being developed.  Continue Reading

• Best practices: A guide to cable management

  What you will learn from this tip: This tip can help you maximize uptime by limiting bandwidth, distance, latency and congestion issues in your cable plant.  Continue Reading

• 10 GigE -- Cable's 'next big thing'

  The data center industry is abuzz about 10 Gigabit Ethernet cabling. But many IT managers still have questions about what it is, why it's better than what they have now and where 10 GigE can take them.  Continue Reading

• From here to there: Fiber optics over Wi-Fi

  In this tip you will read various opinions on how to set up networking between the 5th and 7th floors of a building. See why IT professionals say fiber optic is the way to go.  Continue Reading

• Rules for designing the urban data center

  Design considerations for an older building are much different than starting from scratch. The top ten things you need to know—before it's too late.  Continue Reading

• Preventing data center power failures

  When a power failure happens in your data center, do you point the finger at the facilities department or at yourself? An expert offers tips on how to protect your data center.  Continue Reading