Tips

Tips

• 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