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Pros and cons of bundling hardware and software together
Members of our Server Virtualization Advisory Board discuss the Virtual Computing Environment coalition and ponder the value of bundling hardware and software together. Advisory Board
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Blades vs. rack servers for virtualization
In this face-off, two veteran IT professionals debate blade vs. rack-mount servers, explaining the strengths and weaknesses of each in relation to virtual environments. Face-off
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Server consolidation and virtualization project planning guide
Combining server consolidation with virtualization can boost server utilization and reduce power consumption. Here are strategies to maximize server consolidation project benefits. Guide
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Learning Guide: Servers for virtualization
This SearchServerVirtualization.com guide introduces the best hardware for server virtualization. You'll find virtualization articles, definitions, tips, white papers and other expert advice on how to virtualize servers on various types of systems. Learning Guide
- See More: Essential Knowledge on Server hardware and virtualization
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Virtualization hardware and data center design: Did the debate shift?
When it comes to virtualization hardware, converged infrastructure like NetApp FlexPod and VCE Vblock is taking the place of yesterday’s vertically scaled systems. Column | 30 Jan 2012
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Physical servers live on longer than IT pros predict
Hypervisors are more technically capable than ever of taking on new workloads, but logistical issues like legacy apps, budget and time constraints still stand in the way of server consolidation. News | 12 Oct 2011
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Navigating the converged infrastructure hype cycle
Does the reality of converged infrastructure products, such as the Vblock and FlexPod, live up to the hype? Our columnist shares his hands-on experiences. Column | 17 Feb 2011
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Virtualization should start with disaster recovery, says Ohio agency
How do you go from zero to 90% virtualized with 200 VMs in about six months? Plan ahead, according to one state agency, and start with disaster recovery. Article | 06 Dec 2010
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Vblock sales still slow despite increased interest
Data center customers like the idea of Vblocks, but most still buy servers, storage and virtualization from their preferred vendors. News | 23 Nov 2010
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Oracle Open World updates: Virtualization news in brief
Oracle pre-installs Oracle VM Server on Sparc; and other news in brief. Article | 24 Sep 2010
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Virtualization pros eye low-cost HP server for home labs
For virtualization professionals, HP's new MicroServer may be the ideal low-cost hardware for home labs. But will the entry-level server entice its target: small businesses? Article | 10 Sep 2010
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'Wire once and walk away' boosts data center efficiency
Server virtualization, blades and converged infrastructure can improve data center efficiency by reducing cabling and management demands. Column | 19 Aug 2010
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Dell, HP to resell Oracle VM
In a surprising move, Oracle hardware rivals Dell and Hewlett-Packard have certified and will resell Oracle VM on their x86 servers. News | 29 Jul 2010
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Fault-tolerant hardware explosion for virtual servers hasn't arrived
Industry observers once predicted that more virtual-server eggs in one basket would spur adoption of fault-tolerant servers. But the trend has been more commodity hardware under server virtualization, not less. Article | 20 Jul 2010
- See More: News on Server hardware and virtualization
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Mitigating the risk of a second virtualization hypervisor installation
Introducing a second virtualization hypervisor into a data center can create management and capability issues. With proper planning and testing, you can overcome these challenges. Tip
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Should your IT shop consider multiple server virtualization platforms?
More and more IT shops are implementing multiple server virtualization platforms to increase interoperability and abstraction as well as lower costs. Tip
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Server virtualization predictions for 2012
It’s that time of the year. Our advisory board members offer their server virtualization predictions for 2012. (Hint: They mention cloud computing.) Tip
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Home labs for virtualization: Easier than ever to build
Having a home lab helps IT pros sharpen their virtualization skills. Now, more than ever, building a home lab is within reach. Tip
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Fibre Channel vs. Ethernet: Is the storage networking war over?
In virtualized data centers, Ethernet is rapidly replacing Fibre Channel as the preferred shared storage transport mechanism. Here’s why. Tip
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Hardware migration: How server clustering can help you ditch old hosts
Getting rid of obsolete hardware is no easy task, but with a hardware migration, you can move VMs to new hosts with little downtime. Tip
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Choosing a virtualization hypervisor: Eight factors to consider
Whether you choose a hosted or bare-metal hypervisor, consider performance, cost, reliability and more as you pick a virtualization hypervisor. Tip
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Virtualizing Exchange Server 2010: Hardware requirements and more
Resources, storage and hardware, oh my! Following these requirements for virtualizing Exchange Server 2010 will keep performance in tip-top shape. Tip
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Automating Windows OS deployment in virtual infrastructures
Free is good. Free and automated is even better. There are lots of dynamic Windows OS deployment methods, but some may not fit your infrastructure. Tip
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The benefits of blade enclosures for virtual server load balancing
A blade enclosure can help unlock the advantages of blade servers for virtualization, especially when it comes to virtual server load balancing and live migration. Tip
- See More: Tips on Server hardware and virtualization
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Which new server virtualization technology are you most thankful for?
As server virtualization technology matures, new features open up different possibilities. Our experts explain what new features they’re thankful for. Answer
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Dual-core quad-processor systems, or quad-core dual-processor systems?
We are looking at hardware for our new ESX farm and are wondering if we should go dual-core quad-processor systems, or quad-core dual-processor systems. Essentially we will have the same number of cores in either case, but the dual-processor servers ... Ask the Expert
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Pros and cons of using VHDs (virtual hard disks) versus mapping to physical disks
Deciding between using VHDs or mapping to physical disks? Expert Anil Desai explores the pros and cons of each in this expert response. Ask the Expert
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Newbie VMware questions
No question is too "beginner" for our experts. In this answer, Anil Desai helps a reader learn some basics about using VMware and virtualization. Ask the Expert
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How can I tell if my machines have these new chips?
Wondering if your hardware is virtualization enabled? Expert Bernard Golden tells you what to look for in this expert response. Ask the Expert
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What are multi-core processors?
Wondering what multi-core processors actually are? Bernard Golden shares his knowledge on the subject in this expert response. Ask the Expert
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host virtual machine (host VM)
A host virtual machine is the server component of a virtual machine (VM), the underlying hardware that provides computing resources to support a particular guest virtual machine (guest VM). Definition
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virtual drive (virtual disk or RAM drive)
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server virtualization
Server virtualization is the masking of server resources, including the number and identity of individual physical servers, processors, and operating systems, from server users. Word
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SPARC (Scalable Processor Architecture)
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PowerPC
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AMD (Advanced Micro Devices)
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How many virtual hosts should you put in a cluster?
VMware supports 32 virtual hosts in a cluster, and Hyper-V supports 16. But it's not always smart to reach these virtual server cluster sizing limits. Video
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New VMware product review
Miss the recent news about VMware vSphere 5, View 4.6 and vCloud Connector? This podcast has all the details on these new VMware products. Podcast
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Virtualization security and compliance Q&A with HyTrust CEO Eric Chiu
Virtualization security and compliance are becoming major issues. HyTrust CEO Eric Chiu discusses these trends in this edition of This Week in Virtualization. Podcast
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XenApp, XenDesktop drive XenServer growth
Citrix XenServer is the fastest-growing hypervisor on the market, thanks to the popularity of XenApp and XenDesktop. But that's not the only reason for XenServer's recent momentum. Podcast
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Oracle VM machine coming to appliance market
The Oracle VM machine will bundle Oracle VM and management software on a server with networking and storage hardware. But will it help Oracle compete in the virtualization market? Podcast
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EMC conference recap: EMC World 2010
EMC World 2010 featured lots of virtualization news from EMC. This EMC conference recap has all the details on EMC's virtualization networking and storage strategies. Podcast
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Cisco UCS: What's its audience?
By combining virtualization, hardware and management, he Cisco UCS holds promise. But it has struggled to find its niche so far. Podcast
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Intel, AMD multicore chips pose VMware licensing challenges
New Intel and AMD multicore chips could force users into expensive VMware licensing upgrades. We discuss the pros and cons of these multicore chips. Podcast
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Sun acquisition brings more Oracle virtualization options
Now that the Sun acquisition is complete, the Oracle virtualization roadmap is taking shape. The focus will be on integrated management and converged hardware and software. Podcast
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VMware cloud focus after Zimbra acquisition
The VMware-Zimbra acquisition raised some eyebrows, but the two companies have a strategy for using Zimbra's email and collaboration software to further the VMware cloud push. Podcast
- See More: Multimedia on Server hardware and virtualization
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Virtualization hardware and data center design: Did the debate shift?
When it comes to virtualization hardware, converged infrastructure like NetApp FlexPod and VCE Vblock is taking the place of yesterday’s vertically scaled systems. Column
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Mitigating the risk of a second virtualization hypervisor installation
Introducing a second virtualization hypervisor into a data center can create management and capability issues. With proper planning and testing, you can overcome these challenges. Tip
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Should your IT shop consider multiple server virtualization platforms?
More and more IT shops are implementing multiple server virtualization platforms to increase interoperability and abstraction as well as lower costs. Tip
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Server virtualization predictions for 2012
It’s that time of the year. Our advisory board members offer their server virtualization predictions for 2012. (Hint: They mention cloud computing.) Tip
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Home labs for virtualization: Easier than ever to build
Having a home lab helps IT pros sharpen their virtualization skills. Now, more than ever, building a home lab is within reach. Tip
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Fibre Channel vs. Ethernet: Is the storage networking war over?
In virtualized data centers, Ethernet is rapidly replacing Fibre Channel as the preferred shared storage transport mechanism. Here’s why. Tip
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Which new server virtualization technology are you most thankful for?
As server virtualization technology matures, new features open up different possibilities. Our experts explain what new features they’re thankful for. Answer
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Physical servers live on longer than IT pros predict
Hypervisors are more technically capable than ever of taking on new workloads, but logistical issues like legacy apps, budget and time constraints still stand in the way of server consolidation. News
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Hardware migration: How server clustering can help you ditch old hosts
Getting rid of obsolete hardware is no easy task, but with a hardware migration, you can move VMs to new hosts with little downtime. Tip
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Choosing a virtualization hypervisor: Eight factors to consider
Whether you choose a hosted or bare-metal hypervisor, consider performance, cost, reliability and more as you pick a virtualization hypervisor. Tip
- See More: All on Server hardware and virtualization
About Server hardware and virtualization
Once you decide to take on a server consolidation project using virtualization, you face a host of data center virtualization infrastructure challenges, including server hardware choices, network optimization, the right processors and memory capacity. You should consider which server would be the best virtualization platform for your environment -- blade servers, rackmount servers, legacy mainframe system or cloud computing platforms -- in terms of the virtualized workloads you will deploy, your data center footprint, and data center power and cooling requirements. You also want an adequate number of networking interface card (NIC) slots and host bus adapters (HBAs) and you need to choose the best networking options for virtual machine traffic, including PCI express, InfiniBand, Ethernet, of Fibre Channel. Choosing the right CPUs and server memory capacity for virtualization is also necessary. This section on server hardware choices for data center virtualization helps you weigh server hardware options and features in terms of cost, performance, reliability, support, interoperability and other factors to optimize server performance and server efficiency. You will learn which server hardware products and features are best suited for production environments, test and development, disaster recovery, high performance computing, and cloud computing, and how to optimize memory, CPU, networking, server configuration and management and virtualization hardware support.