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Learn to apply best practices and optimize your operations.

• 6 virtual server management best practices

  When overseeing virtual servers, take advantage of self-service VM management, VM templates, monitoring tools and permissions groups to ease the management burden. Continue Reading

• OpenShift Virtualization 2.5 simplifies VM modernization

  Red Hat's OpenShift platform enables admins to take a phased approach to retiring legacy applications while moving toward a container-based environment. Continue Reading

• Ensure VMware third-party support with the vendor's APIs

  Admins can ensure third-party tools are VMware-compatible through the SDK and API Support program, which offers APIs that integrate third-party products with VMware environments. Continue Reading

• Network consolidation and virtualization solve management issues

  Consolidating networks can help organizations reduce costs and improve data center efficiency -- as long as they focus on security. Continue Reading

• Compare Docker vs. Podman for container management

  Docker and Podman offer similar capabilities when it comes to managing containers, but Docker's security vulnerabilities might make Podman more appealing for certain admins. Continue Reading

• Memory management techniques improve system performance

  Prior to using memory management strategies, admins should familiarize themselves with approaches to ensure they implement techniques suited to their specific circumstances.Continue Reading

• 4 FAQs to help master KVM management

  When it comes to managing KVM, admins should do their homework and research common questions to better understand the technology and ensure peak performance.Continue Reading

• Take control of Hyper-V power management for cost efficiency

  Organizations can better manage Hyper-V power consumption through various means, such as using Hyper-V power plans, server cores and SCVMM capabilities.Continue Reading

• A comprehensive guide to Open vSwitch and its capabilities

  Distributed multilayer switches are essential to managing several network connections between VMs. Open vSwitch offers admins automated and dynamic network control for virtual systems.Continue Reading

• Configure advanced VM settings in vSphere 6.7

  Configuring advanced VM settings is no easy task. Some common questions admins ask include where to place VM swap files and how many sockets and cores they should use.Continue Reading

• Nvidia helps conceptualize VMware GPU virtualization

  Nvidia and VMware announced a plan to bring vGPUs to VMware Cloud on AWS, which will provide customers with more options for implementing GPU-accelerated workloads.Continue Reading

• Right-sizing VMs improves performance, combats resource contention

  Admins looking to reduce resource contention and improve system performance can right-size their VMs, but application owner pushback and software restrictions can pose issues.Continue Reading

• Edge virtualization manages the data deluge, but can be complex

  Virtualizing at the edge introduces device management benefits to admins, but they must ensure edge computing is worth the time and effort.Continue Reading

• Increase data center efficiency with the NSX-T load balancer

  When creating a load balancer, the NSX-T Data Center software is a likely contender, but you must have the necessary NSX-T components, such as tier 0 and tier 1 routers, before beginning.Continue Reading

• Red Hat Virtualization 4.3 updates to Cockpit are minor, but beneficial

  Cockpit hasn't seen many changes with the latest RHV 4.3 update, but it still provides beneficial capabilities, such as the ability create a VM from a template or migrate a VM to a different host.Continue Reading

• Virtualization automation challenges underscore AI usefulness

  Automation helps reduce the complexity of virtual systems, but admins might find that adoption challenges and temporary resolutions underscore its usefulness.Continue Reading

• Top 10 virtualization strategies of 2019

  As virtualization technology continues to advance, admins must use different strategies to manage their complex data centers, such as vCenter maps, hybrid cloud and more.Continue Reading

• Private cloud security risks and how to prevent them

  Admins that rely on private clouds should not be drawn into a false sense of security. Outdated VM images, rogue admins and possible data loss are real security risks for private clouds.Continue Reading

• 5 tips to help IT administrators use AIOps tools effectively

  AIOps tools can simplify virtual system management, but you should consider a few things prior to adoption: business processes, employee skills, volume of data and AIOps complexity.Continue Reading

• Learn to integrate VMs and containers in your data center

  The VMs vs. containers debate is popular among admins, but integrations of the two technologies have begun to emerge with the help of tools such as Kata Containers and Virtlet.Continue Reading

• VMware vSphere monitoring ensures system health, performance

  Admins can monitor their vSphere environments with tools such as vSphere Web Client and vSphere health service, which provide access to real-time usage information and system health data.Continue Reading

• Understand and deploy IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions

  The IBM-VMware partnership has provided a platform for admins committed to VMware technologies who also require cloud benefits such as such as scalability and fast provisioning.Continue Reading

• Import and export Hyper-V VMs with Hyper-V Manager and PowerShell

  When migrating VMs, admins can use Hyper-V Manager's export and import capabilities for small sets of VMs or PowerShell for larger migrations from one host to another.Continue Reading

• AppDefense adoption reconstructs the virtual admin role

  Security is critical to many organizations' planning stages, with virtual admins seeing additional security responsibilities as weaknesses in security teams' capabilities emerge.Continue Reading

• Explore SCVMM features for VM deployment and management

  SCVMM can help admins better manage their virtualization stacks by providing VM networking diagrams and templates, but there are certain requirements admins must meet before use.Continue Reading

• Convert a VM to a Docker image for speed and convenience

  In this excerpt from Chapter 3 of 'Docker in Practice, Second Edition,' authors Ian Miell and Aidan Hobson Sayers discuss how and why to use Docker as a lightweight VM.Continue Reading

• Obtain, deploy and manage Oracle VM templates

  Oracle VM templates, which come with a guest OS, application software and preset configurations, help admins streamline VM deployment, and they can set them up in just a few steps.Continue Reading

• Prepare for Windows Server 2008 end of life

  Admins must prepare their workloads for the Windows Server 2008 and 2008 R2 end of support. Otherwise, they risk the possibility of significant security breaches.Continue Reading

• Server virtualization in DevOps continues to offer advantages

  Virtualization's role in DevOps technologies continues to persevere by providing strong isolation, flexible OS options and an assortment of sophisticated tooling.Continue Reading

• How to implement GPUs for high-performance computing

  IT managers must take advantage of advances in virtualization technology, such as virtual GPUs, to efficiently manage increasingly complex data center operations.Continue Reading

• 7 HPC workload virtualization best practices

  If you are running high-performance computing workloads in a virtual environment, use our handy checklist to see if you are optimizing your environment to its fullest.Continue Reading

• Micro VMs bridge the gap between full VMs and containers

  Micro VMs address full VM and container disadvantages, all while providing a lightweight container architecture and retaining VM security for each instance.Continue Reading

• Use these features and techniques to ensure Hyper-V security

  To successfully enhance the security of Hyper-V hosts and VMs, admins should consider network security, guarded fabric technology, Generation 2 VMs and Secure Boot.Continue Reading

• Persistent memory in Hyper-V VMs offers better data retention

  When coupled with virtualization, persistent memory bridges the gap between traditional memory and storage devices by offering better performance and availability.Continue Reading

• GPU repurposing helps improve infrastructure cost efficiency

  A GPU's cost efficiency decreases when left idle. But, by putting GPUs to work for virtual desktop infrastructure sessions, admins can reduce costs and ensure improved performance.Continue Reading

• Don't buy a GPU for machine learning unless you have the workload

  Virtual GPUs and machine learning might seem like a perfect match, but specialized chips might not be worth the investment if your workloads won't use the cards' full capacity.Continue Reading

• Obtain and deploy Hyper-V with Admin Center rather than VARs

  Using Admin Center to deploy Hyper-V over VARs can offer admins flexibility and the ability to remotely manage servers, but the push toward cloud migration can be an issue.Continue Reading

• Understand private cloud best practices before adoption

  The advantages of a private cloud include resource control and performance issue prevention, but admins can't obtain these benefits without first following a few best practices.Continue Reading

• When to use a micro VM, container or full VM

  Choosing among VMs, containers or micro VMs depends on workload isolation and security needs, and admins should understand the different use cases before making a decision.Continue Reading

• VM cost calculation guide

  Proper VM cost assessment is a critical element of meaningful showback and chargeback practices in a virtual data center.Continue Reading

• Support Hyper-V security with these important protocols

  A virtual environment's security can make the difference when it comes to malicious attacks, preventing unauthorized OS or firmware codes from running at boot time.Continue Reading

• VM automation strategies and benefits for sizable workloads

  Before automating VMs, admins must consider several factors, such as workload size and cost efficiency. Otherwise, automated VMs can cause issues rather than yield benefits.Continue Reading

• Avoid SDDC security risks during implementation

  Moving workloads to a software-defined data center can pose challenges. When updating systems, admins should address potential security risks with proper care to avoid issues.Continue Reading

• Hybrid cloud strategies to bridge on-premises, public cloud gap

  Moving workloads to a hybrid cloud environment requires several strategies, and organizations should look toward multi-hypervisors, SDDCs and Kubernetes to do so.Continue Reading

• Save on licensing with a multi-hypervisor environment

  Shifting some workloads from VMware to Hyper-V to rely on multiple hypervisors takes time and effort, but the flexibility and cost savings might just be worth it.Continue Reading

• VMware vSphere HA capabilities ease VM management

  VMware vSphere HA provides admins with the ability to manipulate their virtual environments to avoid excessive VM restarts and ensure peak performance.Continue Reading

• Micro VMs can present unique management challenges

  The haphazard deployment of micro VMs can eventually lead to issues ranging from IP address depletion to serious performance problems resulting from extreme resource contention.Continue Reading

• 3 tools admins can use for private cloud capacity planning

  Admins can better manage their private clouds with capacity planning tools, such as specified quotas, resource monitoring and predictive scheduling.Continue Reading

• Use ManageEngine OpManager to monitor your virtual environment

  ManageEngine OpManager offers monitoring capabilities that enable IT teams to gather resource metrics, such as CPU usage and I/O operations, to help manage their environments.Continue Reading

• What to do when virtualization management tools go cloud

  As more tools transition to the cloud, SMBs that keep workloads on-premises must make a decision about how they'll manage their virtual environments going forward.Continue Reading

• Inherit and manage a virtualization environment with these strategies

  Stepping into a management role when it comes to a newly inherited virtualization environment can be a challenge, but with the right approach, you can ease the transition.Continue Reading

• Overcome VM migration complexity with proper preparation

  Discover best practices to properly prepare your VMs for cloud migration to avoid errors and issues with business needs. The key to success is doing your migration homework.Continue Reading

• Strategies for managing multi-hypervisor environments

  Efficient multi-hypervisor management often comes down to where you place your workloads in terms of compatibility and security and how accessible your management tools are.Continue Reading

• 4 types of virtualization IT admins should know

  Server virtualization is a fact of life for most IT admins, but there are other types of virtualization -- network, storage, desktop and application -- that IT pros should know.Continue Reading

• Manage Windows containers and Hyper-V containers with these tools

  You can use a number of tools for Windows and Hyper-V container management, including Docker and PowerShell, depending on your experience and skill set.Continue Reading

• Multi-hypervisor environments provide cost savings, flexibility

  Adopting multiple hypervisors might make more sense than going with a single vendor, depending on cost, the types of workloads you run, and your performance and reliability needs.Continue Reading

• Server hardware to run ROBO virtual workloads

  Examine remote office/branch office technology trends, review server hardware options and ensure you can effectively manage virtual resources before implementation.Continue Reading

• 4 branch office server management best practices

  Setting up a ROBO server involves specific hardware and software configuration considerations, such as ensuring redundancy and connectivity for remote management.Continue Reading

• Use PowerShell Docker to manage Windows container components

  Take advantage of the PowerShell for Docker module to easily create and manage Windows containers in your environment with this step-by-step installation guide.Continue Reading

• Top 5 SCVMM PowerShell commands

  Manually making changes to Hyper-V hosts and VMs is very time-consuming. Manage System Center Virtual Machine Manager with PowerShell commands to make administration easier.Continue Reading

• AIOps use cases address complexity in virtual data centers

  The ever-growing complexity of virtual infrastructures is making management a struggle, but an AIOps platform can enable admins to transform raw data into useful information.Continue Reading

• Meet data center compliance standards in hybrid deployments

  Data center compliance is a moving target that shifts with standards and technologies. Don't get sidetracked by the complexity -- prioritize performance while maintaining compliance.Continue Reading

• Design data center redundancy based on cloud outage lessons

  Public cloud providers have had catastrophic outages, but IT administrators can learn from cloud redundancy failures and successes -- and apply them to on-premises infrastructures.Continue Reading

• Use Microsoft SCVMM to clone a VM

  There are some requirements you must meet to clone VMs with SCVMM, but the steps to clone an existing VM -- whether it's running, paused or shutdown -- are fairly simple.Continue Reading

• 3 virtualization infrastructure design rules to shape your deployment

  Admins can improve virtual infrastructure design by focusing their deployments on transparency and flexibility and critically evaluating emerging technologies.Continue Reading

• Direct NVMe performance with virtualization and storage tiers

  Non-volatile memory express technologies have a host of benefits, but admins must use virtualization and storage tiers to best target NVMe performance boosts.Continue Reading

• Incorporate NIST security and virtualization recommendations

  Review NIST virtualization security recommendations with this overview of hypervisor security guidelines, including tips on VM lifecycles and hypervisor platform management.Continue Reading

• Tame the virtualization infrastructure management beast

  IT administrators must manage virtual infrastructure requirements, such as patches, reboots and component lifecycles, to create and maintain an efficient data center.Continue Reading

• Design a custom Hyper-V Integration Services component

  The steps for creating a new component of Hyper-V Integration Services include registering an app, creating and binding a Hyper-V socket, and compiling server and client apps.Continue Reading

• Create VM templates without encountering errors

  Creating a VM template is a fairly straightforward process. Even so, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with Microsoft's documentation to avoid common mistakes.Continue Reading

• Create and configure a shielded VM in Hyper-V

  In just a few easy steps, including installing a Host Guardian Service server and creating certificates, you can shield a Hyper-V VM to protect it against access or tampering.Continue Reading

• Build an IT maintenance plan around infrastructure needs

  Don't delay maintenance reboots. It's easy to forget to reboot hosts, tools and drivers, so use a reboot schedule to ensure your infrastructure remains functional.Continue Reading

• Incorporate virtual private clouds in a hybrid IT environment

  Don't let the added complexity of VPCs deter you from integrating them with your hybrid cloud. Simply keep these configuration factors in mind to ensure seamless interoperability.Continue Reading

• SCVMM PowerShell commands for server health checks

  Perform regular SCVMM health checks -- such as monitoring clustered shared volume utilization and host participation in SCVMM placement -- using simple PowerShell commands and scripts.Continue Reading

• Manage VMM library servers with PowerShell

  Using PowerShell commands can save you time when searching for all the shares on a VMM library server, exporting and importing VMM library resources, and checking for VMM templates.Continue Reading

• Manage all your Hyper-V snapshots with PowerShell

  Using PowerShell commands to take and remove Hyper-V snapshots, and to restore VMs to a previous state is easy and efficient, especially when working with bulk VMs.Continue Reading

• Build an IT infrastructure plan from the ground up

  IT infrastructure improvements require careful planning that includes evaluating new technologies, such as converged and hyper-converged, and building for future flexibility.Continue Reading

• Consider Hyper-V live migration requirements before configuration

  An effective live migration setup is key to a complete Hyper-V configuration. Consider these expert recommendations, such as limiting concurrent live migrations, to ensure success.Continue Reading

• Prepare a Hyper-V configuration report with PowerShell

  Generate a report with valuable Hyper-V configuration information, such as the virtual disk path, using a PowerShell script to ensure your server settings match the design documentation.Continue Reading

• How many Hyper-V virtual processors should I configure per VM?

  There isn't a set number of virtual processors you should configure for a Hyper-V VM, but there are steps you can take to ensure your workloads receive enough processor resources.Continue Reading

• Manage Switch Embedded Teaming in Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V

  You can create and manage a Switch Embedded Team in Hyper-V using just a few PowerShell commands, but there are specific requirements and limitations you should be aware of.Continue Reading

• Use Sysprep to generalize Hyper-V VMs for rapid deployment

  Microsoft's Sysprep tool enables rapid Hyper-V VM configuration and deployment through image generalization. Use commands to speed up configuration and disaster recovery.Continue Reading

• Small-scale infrastructure testing requires transparency

  Use small-scale tests for a cheaper alternative to expensive, duplicate test environments, but be wary of limitations, such as hardware functionality and performance.Continue Reading

• Enable rapid provisioning of VMs with SCVMM SAN copy

  Achieve VM rapid provisioning with SCVMM by creating a SAN copy template from either an existing or new VM. Then select the required options when deploying the template to the host.Continue Reading

• Build a virtualized development environment with these guidelines

  Save time and stress by designing virtualized test environments that include migration preparation and sandbox testing, and that, in certain cases, mix test and production hardware.Continue Reading

• How do I convert VMDK to VHDX using PowerShell commands?

  Download and install Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter to gain access to several PowerShell commands that enable VMware VMDK to Hyper-V VHDX conversions.Continue Reading

• Expedite Ansible KVM provisioning with automation

  Creating KVM virtual machines with virsh and virt-install can be onerous. Use Ansible to automate deployment with templates and modules or to extend to functions like cloning.Continue Reading

• Manage KVM at scale with these best practices

  KVM management is easy when VM density is low, but managing hundreds or thousands of VMs can present a challenge. Plan ahead, configure the right drivers and optimize for scale.Continue Reading

• What's new in private cloud management?

  To have a successful private cloud deployment, consider your goals, address security and scalability needs, and incorporate private cloud management tools.Continue Reading

• Enable resource metering in Hyper-V to collect usage data

  Easily monitor resource utilization for your Hyper-V VMs by first enabling the resource metering feature and then collecting data with a few PowerShell commands.Continue Reading

• Migrate virtual machines from development to production

  Administrators must prepare carefully before moving test or development VMs to production. Check connectivity, security, compliance and licensing before beginning a migration.Continue Reading

• Hunt zombie VMs and control virtualization sprawl

  VM tagging is an effective tactic for discovering and eliminating zombie VMs. Cut useless VMs, redundant data and confusing configurations to enable efficient resource consumption and limit VM sprawl.Continue Reading

• How to list the Hyper-V virtual processors configured for VMs

  To see virtual processors configured for VMs on the local host, execute a simple PowerShell command. For vCPUs configured for VMs on remote servers, a script is needed.Continue Reading

• Understand how Hyper-V Storage Spaces Direct benefits VMs

  Enhance the performance of your Hyper-V VMs by taking advantage of the Storage Spaces direct feature in Windows Server 2016 to pool storage for caching or tiered storage.Continue Reading

• Use the Hyper-V QoS feature to manage storage IOPS

  Quality of service addresses storage IOPS limitations by enabling administrators to stipulate a minimum and maximum IOPS value for a virtual hard disk.Continue Reading

• Enable and disable vTPM on Hyper-V VMs with PowerShell cmdlets

  If you don't have Guarded Fabric or Shielded VMs, which have the Trusted Platform Module feature built-in, you need to manually enable virtual TPM for your Hyper-V VMs using PowerShell.Continue Reading

• Manually initiate the Hyper-V replication failover process

  Hyper-V replication failover only requires two steps. But before you initiate failover, perform some tests to ensure the recovery point has consistent data.Continue Reading

• Navigate vROps dashboard options in the Service Discovery MP

  Admins can view infrastructure information in the services relationship, VM relationships, service distribution and service visibility dashboards of the vROps Service Discovery MP.Continue Reading

• VMware management pack version 2.0 features and requirements

  Version 2.0 of the vRealize Operations Service Discovery Management Pack has been updated with user-defined service discovery, but consider the prerequisites before upgrading.Continue Reading

• What does vRealize Operations Service Discovery MP do?

  The vRealize Operations Service Discovery MP automatically discovers services running on VMs, as well as the relationships and interdependencies between VMs based on network traffic patterns.Continue Reading