Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• How do you virtualize database servers?

  Virtualizing database servers has consolidation and efficiency benefits, but you must carefully choose which databases to virtualize and which tools to virtualize with.  Continue Reading

• Docker for Windows shows permission errors on shared volumes

  Understand and work around one of the more common Docker for Windows errors -- permissions for shared volumes -- to read, write and execute to the shared volume.  Continue Reading

• Use nested virtualization to run a container in a VM

  IT administrators should familiarize themselves with the benefits and limitations of using nested virtualization to run containers in VMs before implementation.  Continue Reading

• Is your VM frozen? Isolate the cause and problem solve

  Many issues cause VMs to become unresponsive, including invoking particular tasks, such as snapshots or migrations, resource configuration and infrastructure unavailability.  Continue Reading

• Common VM network latency causes explained

  There are many potential causes of network performance problems when it comes to VMs. Familiarize yourself with the most common causes to aid in troubleshooting.  Continue Reading

• Open source hypervisor technical support, update considerations

  Even though open source software itself is completely free to obtain and use, effective hypervisor technical support options for production environments might cost money.  Continue Reading

• Is the XenServer hypervisor worth the cost?

  There is a free, easy-to-obtain version of Citrix XenServer, but additional features and commercial support from Citrix -- which some shops might need -- require a license.  Continue Reading

• Evaluate Oracle VM Server as a potential hypervisor

  Oracle VM provides useful features such as high availability and live migration, but it's important for admins to size the server for the workloads it's intended to host.  Continue Reading

• Red Hat Virtualization hypervisor adoption considerations

  IT admins considering Red Hat Virtualization might inadvertently overlook certain system requirements or forget to consider whether they need support.  Continue Reading

• How do you decide to scale up or scale out a workload?

  Scaling up or scaling out is not a decision to be made lightly. Use monitoring data to determine the strategy that fits your use case and to inform future decisions.  Continue Reading

• Do hypervisors limit vertical scalability?

  Navigate the different scalability limitations hypervisors create and determine when you should scale up to those limits and when you should scale out.  Continue Reading

• How do you analyze the costs of virtualization scalability?

  It's easy to allocate more resources to a VM, but scaling decisions require careful deliberation. Without retrospective analysis, scaling can quickly become costly.  Continue Reading

• How do you improve storage scalability?

  Storage can limit virtualization scalability if IT administrators don't plan properly. Examine how storage scalability problems can arise and strategies for addressing it.  Continue Reading

• Can virtual SAN performance create VM performance issues?

  Monitor the performance of your VSAN and VMs to ensure one isn't affecting the other. Performance metrics and alerts can make it easy to spot VSAN issues before they affect VMs.  Continue Reading

• How can VSAN network requirements affect performance?

  Virtual SAN network configuration problems can detract from performance and availability. Update your drivers and check that no security products are blocking connections.  Continue Reading