Tips

Tips

• Use a Linux file system journal for data integrity, performance

  Understand the three different file system journaling modes for Linux, as well as which mount option provides the best levels of data protection and performance.  Continue Reading

• Five data center certifications admins need to know

  Data center certifications, including those from VMware and Cisco, can provide a career boost for admins. Consider taking one of these five exams to expand your knowledge.  Continue Reading

• Tap into the new SELinux, DR features in RHEL release 7.3

  Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.3 gives admins more granular control over security, DR and containers, while laying the foundation for IoT workloads -- something RHEL 8 will likely build on.  Continue Reading

• Automate systems and server documentation tasks to boost IT efficiency

  Develop comprehensive IT system documentation to save IT time, create an environment that automatically checks for updates and alert management to critical changes.  Continue Reading

• Stop zombie servers from eating up data center resources

  Zombie servers can waste precious data center resources -- and are more common than many IT teams think. Fortunately, DCIM and other monitoring tools can stop them in their tracks.  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

• Conduct a power cycling test to stay ahead of hardware failures

  Don't let unplanned downtime disrupt your data center. Conduct power cycling tests to proactively monitor systems and identify hardware failures in a contained, orderly way.  Continue Reading

• Consider these Linux I/O scheduler options for storage performance

  To optimize Linux performance, IT teams should examine the I/O scheduler currently in use, and evaluate alternatives, such as deadline and Completely Fair Queuing.  Continue Reading

• Build a data center shutdown procedure to prepare for the worst

  A data center shutdown checklist helps IT teams focus on backup, testing and system verification before pulling the plug and losing valuable information.  Continue Reading

• Compare benefits of a blade server architecture vs. hyper-convergence

  To determine if a series of blade servers is the right call for more condensed compute in your data center, evaluate its benefits compared to hyper-convergence.  Continue Reading

• Evolve IT budget planning for software-defined infrastructure

  During IT budget planning for a software-defined data center, maximize value by accounting for predictable demand spikes, and evaluate resources to avoid losing funding later on.  Continue Reading

• Blade server architecture offers efficiency, but lock-in risks remain

  For organizations concerned about blade server lock-in, virtualization and cloud offer compelling alternatives with similar benefits, such as consolidation in the data center.  Continue Reading

• How an IoT deployment reshapes network and storage management

  Data center admins need to know the unique network and storage requirements that come with an IoT deployment, and evolve their IT management practices accordingly.  Continue Reading

• Workload optimization tips for hyper-converged technologies

  When using hyper-converged systems, workload optimization isn't in the cards for all enterprise apps. Start with ROBO configurations and VDI, and assess from there.  Continue Reading

• The CICS mainframe program leans toward cloud, DevOps with TS 5.3

  The latest update for the CICS mainframe program comes via Transaction Server 5.3, with a focus on increased agility, efficiency, and cloud and DevOps support.  Continue Reading

• How will silicon photonics technology affect data center connectivity?

  Silicon photonics technology has been around for over a decade, but its integration into the data center is still in its infancy. Will the connectivity benefits be worth the wait?  Continue Reading

• How an IT business continuity plan differs with colocation vs. cloud

  To avoid the disaster recovery safety net, build an IT business continuity plan for your data center. But before you do, weigh the pros and cons of using colocation vs. cloud.  Continue Reading

• Evolving DCIM market shows automation, convergence top IT's wish list

  Growth continues in the DCIM market, but shows signs of slowing down, as IT teams look for a new generation of tools that can help them consolidate management tasks.  Continue Reading

• Optimize mainframe processor performance with vertical polarization

  To increase mainframe processor capacity and speed, IBM turned to vertical polarization. Learn how to take advantage of it through a feature called HiperDispatch.  Continue Reading

• What to know before taking the CCNP Data Center exam

  With a focus on data center network implementation and support, CCNP Data Center is a subset certification from Cisco. But is taking the exam really worth all the effort for IT pros?  Continue Reading

• Prevent hot spots with data center temperature monitoring

  Hot spots can spell bad news for servers. Understand how they occur, and how to use data center temperature monitoring and cooling techniques to prevent them.  Continue Reading

• When moving servers to a colocation facility, planning is key

  Moving servers off premises to a colocation facility can be a daunting task. Use these best practices to minimize downtime to ensure a seamless transition.  Continue Reading

• Manage Btrfs snapshots with the SUSE Snapper utility

  Learn how to use Btrfs snapshots with Linux utilities, such as Snapper and GRUB2, to revert back to previous states in the event of a configuration mishap.  Continue Reading

• Use SLA monitoring to detect service provider shadiness

  Whether for colocation or cloud, service-level agreements can be filled with jargon. Use this FAQ to wade through the confusion and know what to expect when you sign up for a service.  Continue Reading

• Drive efficiency through data center cable management, zoning

  To increase the efficiency of your data center, proper cabling and zoning practices, as well as the right DCIM tools, are a must.  Continue Reading

• Storage, security present IoT challenge in the data center

  As IoT becomes more popular, admins need to reshape their data center strategies. Here are some tips to overcome common IoT challenges related to storage, security and more.  Continue Reading

• What to know before using li-ion battery technology in a UPS system

  Lead-acid batteries were the norm for most UPS systems, but lithium-ion batteries are an attractive alternative. Here's what to know before bringing them into your data center.  Continue Reading

• Simplify mainframe storage management with IBM SMFLIMxx

  By offering a more flexible, rule-based approach, SMFLIMxx can help mainframe programmers get a better grasp on virtual storage.  Continue Reading

• Weigh the pros, cons of three Linux load balancer options

  Nginx, HAProxy and Linux Virtual Server are three different Linux load balancer to consider for multiserver, high-traffic requests in the data center.  Continue Reading

• Upgrade considerations for a blade server vs. rack server

  Blade servers and rack servers aren't designed the same, which means the refresh process varies for each. Explore the different upgrade considerations for memory, storage and more.  Continue Reading

• SDS products present new performance, budgeting hurdles

  Software-defined storage presents data center managers with new options, but they aren't free from challenges, particularly around hardware limitations and budgeting cycles.  Continue Reading

• Evolve your on-premises IT security model for cloud

  As public and private cloud services bring new IT security demands, data center teams need to rethink how they approach firewalls, identity management and more.  Continue Reading

• Before leaving a system administrator job, don't burn any bridges

  Leave on good terms from your system administrator job to avoid burning bridges and to keep a good reputation in the industry. Here are some things to consider before your move.  Continue Reading

• SDDC planning should focus on scalability, integration

  The ability to control everything through software is an appealing characteristic of software-defined data centers. But integration, scalability and other considerations should shape your SDDC plan.  Continue Reading

• New IEEE network standards nudge data centers toward 25 GbE

  Two new IEEE network standards that will accommodate 25 GbE are 802.3bq and 802.3by. But what changes will you need to make in the data center to support them?  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

• Choices for Red Hat virtualization include RHEL, RHEV and OpenStack

  While the KVM functionality in Red Hat Enterprise Linux can help admins manage VMs on a few servers, larger deployments may call for RHEV and OpenStack.  Continue Reading

• Xeon E5 v4 workload and upgrade considerations for admins

  Increased compute capabilities in the Intel Xeon E5 v4 and E7 v4 family help accommodate cloud and scale-up workloads -- but not everyone should rush to upgrade.  Continue Reading

• Three interface options for remote server monitoring, management

  Remote server management interfaces, such as IPMI, iDRAC and iLO, give data center admins a central location to monitor fan speeds, power supply status, temperature and more.  Continue Reading

• New IT jobs emerge to target user experience, service delivery

  Experts in user experience and IT as a service are becoming critical in the enterprise, especially as the gap narrows between IT and business teams in new IT jobs.  Continue Reading

• Three types of mainframe monitoring tools to track performance

  Mainframe users face a variety of options when it comes to system monitoring tools. Determine if a real-time, near-time or post-processor tool is the best fit for your IT needs.  Continue Reading

• Get to know ASHRAE 90.4, the new energy efficiency standard

  ASHRAE recently released its new 90.4 energy efficiency standard. Here's how it differs from 90.1, and what data center managers need to know.  Continue Reading

• New data center metrics to gauge energy, cooling efficiency

  New data center metrics go beyond power usage effectiveness to determine the overall efficiency of infrastructure, focusing on more than energy and cooling.  Continue Reading

• Test the water before a data lake implementation

  Before rushing into a large-scale data lake implementation, start small and treat the technology as an extension to your existing analytics systems.  Continue Reading

• IT lifecycle management drives smarter refresh decisions

  IT teams need to strike a balance between keeping up with the latest technology and being cost-effective. Proper IT lifecycle management techniques can help.  Continue Reading

• Anticipate data center challenges with an IT monitoring strategy

  Data center challenges come in all shapes and sizes, but by keeping close tabs on systems and data, admins can be ready to react.  Continue Reading

• Five tools to enable Linux automation, monitoring and backup

  When it comes to Linux data center tools, there is no shortage of options. For automation, backup and monitoring, consider these five Linux tools first.  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

• Construct a winning data center project plan

  Before embarking on new data center projects, such as an upgrade or move to the cloud, clearly define all goals and expectations -- and not just for IT.  Continue Reading

• Six helpful Linux networking commands to monitor connectivity

  There are plenty of useful Linux tools to help in the event of a network connection failure. Here are six of the top commands to stay ahead when trouble occurs.  Continue Reading

• A disaster recovery report uncovers the errors that led to chaos

  In this disaster recovery report, discover the failure points that led to catastrophe and learn how to make decisions that will lead to data center success.  Continue Reading

• What happens when disaster recovery policies go up in smoke

  Starting with an alarm and ending in disaster, one data center fire nearly wiped out an entire operation. Ultimately, poor design and budget choices were to blame.  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

• New IT roles to put on your hiring radar

  The shifting nature of the IT industry doesn't just influence new technology; it's spawning some noteworthy changes in IT staffing, especially around big data and cloud.  Continue Reading

• Weigh these SaaS pros and cons for your IT landscape

  The cloud service most akin to packaged software, SaaS options are easy to consume but hard to customize. Here's what it means for IT.  Continue Reading

• Machine learning examples crop up for data center management

  Machine learning implementations are finally making their way to the enterprise -- and the data center seems to be a perfect match.  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

• Choose the right IT operating model for the business

  Enterprise IT organizations face operating model transitions as they work to meet cost and execution demands of the business. This could mean an on-premises, cloud or outsourced IT model.  Continue Reading

• Virtualization containers spark a consolidation comeback

  Over the past 10 years, virtualization has made waves in data centers everywhere. But now, containers are tipping the scale back toward server consolidation.  Continue Reading

• Latest SSD and HDD trends trigger transition in data centers

  In capacity and cost comparisons of SSD and HDD storage, solid-state is favorable. Find out what the transition will mean for data centers as the future of HDD looks grim.  Continue Reading

• Two server memory types shaking up performance expectations

  Memory manufacturers are getting creative for high performance. High Bandwidth Memory and Hybrid Memory Cube modules could appear in the next generation of servers.  Continue Reading

• Tackle the cooling challenges that edge computing poses

  Edge computing is the next new trend, but recognize its obstacles before riding the wave.  Continue Reading

• Get to know server memory types in the evolving IT space

  Understanding server memory reliability, performance and configuration can pay off in the data center, especially with advanced technologies on the market.  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

• Tips to ace tough IT operations interview questions

  Few things career-wise are as nerve-wracking as job interviews. Knowing what to expect going into that first meeting for a Web or app administrator role can quell some uneasiness.  Continue Reading

• PaaS examples prove apps dictate infrastructure choices

  PaaS is the least-known XaaS category. However, it is a great way to bootstrap custom app development and increase IT productivity.  Continue Reading

• Blade server architecture under threat by hyper-convergence

  Blade servers were the original converged IT hardware box -- so how do they stack up to the converged offerings on the market today?  Continue Reading

• Ten reasons to consider a hyper-converged data center

  Adopting hyper-convergence seems like all the rage among enterprise IT. But not everyone is jumping on board -- and neither should you, unless these 10 reasons fit your needs.  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

• As turnkey data center options grow, so do deployment challenges

  Businesses need to deploy new IT systems quickly. Gradually, vendors have found ways to integrate IT and energy components in the pursuit of a truly turnkey data center option.  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

• The right infrastructure for fast and big data architectures

  Learn the differences between fast and big data architectures before buying new software and hardware for the data center.  Continue Reading

• Is it better to build or buy data center hardware?

  Choosing converged systems or ODM servers for data center hardware depends on the capabilities of your in-house IT staff.  Continue Reading

• Two key disaster recovery colocation questions to ask

  Choosing a disaster recovery colocation provider may seem daunting. However, knowing what to look for beforehand can help you make the right choice.  Continue Reading

• How to succeed in an ops career without really trying

  An ops career can be stressful if you don't approach decision makers, vendors and end users with flexibility and realistic expectations.  Continue Reading

• Future-proof your colo data center choice

  Figure out which colo data center will meet your current and future needs. Be sure to take into account power draw, cost, security and additional services.  Continue Reading

• Mainframe capacity planning takes on unpredictable workloads

  An extension of Capacity Provisioning Manager into the hardware eases mainframe capacity planning headaches.  Continue Reading

• Three server security tools you might not know

  The security of the individual data center server can get lost in the shuffle of protecting enterprise networks. These server security tools will help.  Continue Reading

• Ten server deployment checklist considerations

  Use this server deployment checklist to make sure you've covered all your bases. From power distribution outlets to available network connectivity, server deployment can be an arduous process.  Continue Reading

• These IaaS examples show data centers can share the load

  Not every IT workload belongs directly under your control in the data center. Consider these IaaS pros and cons for example workloads.  Continue Reading

• IT certification programs to get in-demand skills for 2016

  IT certification programs offer important skills for evolving technological needs. Data center pros will find a lot of clouds on the skills horizon, and can get these certifications to excel.  Continue Reading

• Four paths to a cloud bursting architecture

  The lack of capable infrastructure hinders a typical cloud bursting architecture. Choose one of these four paths to better implement cloud bursting.  Continue Reading

• How to correctly install SUSE Manager the first time

  Make sure your SUSE Manager installation goes smoothly by following this step-by-step walkthrough.  Continue Reading

• The right apps capitalize on IT scalability from HCI

  Hyper-converged infrastructures give IT organizations easy, fast scalability when correctly implemented.  Continue Reading

• Growing cloud capabilities influence IT capacity planning

  IT capacity planning must take into account the decrease hardware space requirements, ramping up densities and the potential to interface with cloud services.  Continue Reading

• Thread safety isn't the only way to boost mainframe performance

  Thread safety boosts the performance of DB2 and other mainframe apps, but could unnecessarily complicate code.  Continue Reading

• The top Linux commands for server administrators

  Managing Linux servers requires command line skills. Keep a list of the top Linux commands to schedule tasks, check statuses and see open files.  Continue Reading

• Analyze Linux network connectivity issues with the ping utility

  Linux administrators can narrow down network connectivity problems by deploying the ping utility.  Continue Reading

• IBM's zEDC brings hardware compression to z systems

  Hardware compression is still vital to many enterprises with mainframes. IBM's zEDC hardware data compression feature enables compression for mainframe workloads at potential cost savings.  Continue Reading

• The Linux ip command makes network config easy

  The Linux ip command makes monitoring a Linux network configuration easy, but you need to know what to look for.  Continue Reading

• New data storage methods broaden IT horizons

  Data center managers have more choice than ever with SSDs, object storage and more, which means evolving ideas about the best methods of data storage.  Continue Reading

• Budgets prompt data center vs. colocation discussion

  Rather than spending another budget cycle struggling to fund the data center, start outsourcing selectively -- and improve at the same time.  Continue Reading

• High server throughput leads to better utilization, lower costs

  Higher throughput means fewer servers to handle a given workload and potentially lower licensing costs as well.  Continue Reading

• The new IT security threat coming to your data center

  The latest and greatest in technology opens new opportunities for hackers to penetrate sensitive corporate data.  Continue Reading

• A data center design guide to get it right the first time

  Corporate moves, rapid IT refreshes, virtualization initiatives and other factors affect your data center design. Use this data center planning guide for a facility that lasts.  Continue Reading

• IT cost management shaped by data center spending

  Reduce server costs and data center operations expenditures by investing in the right areas, such as networking and storage.  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