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Improving server management with virtualization

• Manage large volumes of VM data with these storage tactics

  Admins can effectively virtualize large servers with storage tiering and disk allocation, but they must be wary of potential IOPS and redundancy issues. Continue Reading

• Top server sizing strategies for VMs

  How many VMs can you put on a server? That depends on whether your hardware and virtual environment are well-matched. This tip offers four criteria to select the right servers. Continue Reading

• Virtualization can ease Windows Server upgrade challenges

  Upgrading an OS or application can be a complex and time-consuming process, but cloning and snapshots can make the process easier. Continue Reading

• Why every administrator needs a virtual laptop

  You know the advantages virtualization brings to servers, so why not reap the same rewards by creating a virtual copy of your laptop? Continue Reading

• For virtualization documentation, timing can be everything

  Virtualization documentation can swallow up huge chunks of time if you have to retrace your steps. Recording what you do as you do it could save lots of time down the road. Continue Reading

• Simple rules to avoid VM snapshot problems

  You can avoid a lot of trouble if you simply use virtual machine snapshots as they're intended. A VM snapshot is not a backup.Continue Reading

• What's the best way to configure BIOS settings for virtualization?

  There are several BIOS settings you may need to change on your host server to ensure that hypervisors will run correctly.Continue Reading

• Managing virtual machine storage with virsh commands

  The virsh edit command offers more options than the basic ones offered by Virtual Machine Manager when it comes to storage.Continue Reading

• Do the benefits of hybrid cloud computing live up to the hype?

  With all of the hype, it’s important to weigh caveats and benefits of hybrid cloud to determine if it’s the right fit for your company.Continue Reading

• Solving problems and taking names: Automated scripting keeps you ahead

  IT admins can use automated scripting and other tools to avoid repetition, reduce human error and generate better documentation.Continue Reading

• Even a small business can take advantage of virtualization

  There are many virtualization success stories among large companies, but with more low cost options, even an SMB can take advantage of virtualization.Continue Reading

• Preparing your checklist for a flawless hypervisor switch

  No matter what your reason is for a hypervisor switch, there is plenty to consider before the change.Continue Reading

• Differentiating C-state and P-state in server power management

  C-state and P-state both offer options for managing system power, but they are very different from one another.Continue Reading

• Ask the expert: How do hypervisors control server power consumption?

  Server power consumption can be readily controlled by hypervisors instead of the operating system once the host server is properly configured.Continue Reading

• VMware jumps into log analytics with vCenter Log Insight

  VMware jumps into an already crowded log analytics market with the release of vCenter Log Insight, but vSphere integration could help spur adoption.Continue Reading

• Recognizing and correcting common VM migration problems

  A careful and systematic approach can speed the recognition and correction of common VM migration problems.Continue Reading

• Moving VMs around? Avoid downtime with Hyper-V Live Storage Migration

  Live Storage Migration eliminates the downtime associated with moving VM files from one storage location to another and helps improve performance.Continue Reading

• Guidelines for moving multiple VMs with Hyper-V Live Storage Migration

  Live Storage Migration makes it easy to move multiple storage files of running VMs without downtime, but there are practical limits you should know.Continue Reading

• Virtualizing legacy servers without pulling out your hair

  Moving a legacy server to a virtual environment provides the same benefits as virtualizing new servers, though the process is considerably trickier.Continue Reading

• Despite the appeal of IT automation, don't rush to automate everything

  IT automation isn't for everyone. Deciding what and how much to automate is an important point to consider before jumping headfirst into automation.Continue Reading

• Optimal BIOS settings for server virtualization

  The ideal mix of performance and reliability starts with learning which server BIOS settings you should configure for a virtualized system.Continue Reading

• Workflow automation software showdown: Citrix, Microsoft and VMware

  Workflow automation software is growing in popularity, but each product has its limitations. Find out how products from three major vendors stack up.Continue Reading

• Four tools for managing a heterogeneous environment

  Not all heterogeneous environment management tools are created equal. Check out four popular options to determine which are worth a second look.Continue Reading

• How the software-defined data center changes the virtualization game

  By removing the traditional constraints of physical hardware, the software-defined data center offers flexibility.Continue Reading

• Recipe for a fully baked private cloud and self-service portal

  Cooking up a private cloud with a self-service portal can free up time otherwise spent provisioning VMs. You just need the right ingredients.Continue Reading

• Virtual data center decisions: Should you go 100% virtual?

  Our advisory board members offer their opinions on going 100% virtual, a pressing virtual data center decision now that hypervisors are more powerful.Continue Reading

• Streamlining multi-hypervisor management with ease

  Multi-hypervisor management doesn’t have to be rocket science. With the right tools, it’s so easy, a caveman could do it.Continue Reading

• Boosting data center efficiency with converged infrastructure hardware

  Converged infrastructure hardware can make an IT pro’s little easier. The robust management capabilities alone can boost data center efficiency.Continue Reading

• How the evolution of virtualization redefined efficient data centers

  The evolution of virtualization has promoted more efficient data centers. Now IT shops can reduce costs while increasing performance.Continue Reading

• 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.Continue Reading

• Improving business agility through capacity planning and VM management

  Business agility is essential for organizations looking to stay competitive in today’s economy. Server virtualization and capacity planning are two ways to address that need.Continue Reading

• Legacy OSes and virtual server migration challenges

  Server virtualization is challenging, but it’s even more tricky when you have to coax old legacy servers or a legacy OS onto new virtualization hardware.Continue Reading

• Determining the consolidation ratio in your server consolidation project

  Once you know what makes your servers tick, you can analyze that data and decide on a consolidation ratio for your server consolidation project.Continue Reading

• Data deduplication reduces storage requirements: Law firm case study

  One large law firm objected to document storage requirements. Along with virtualization, storage consolidation and data deduplication overruled.Continue Reading

• To consolidate or not to consolidate: Resource-intensive applications

  That is the question… Should you consolidate servers with resource-intensive apps? Not necessarily. They'll have to share resources with multiple VMs.Continue Reading

• Server consolidation planning: Easy on the memory overcommit

  When you commit to a server consolidation strategy, don’t overdo the overcommit. Memory overcommit can impair VM performance if you exhaust resources.Continue Reading

• Server consolidation strategy pitfalls: Over-consolidation

  With server consolidation, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Over-consolidation can stretch resources to their limits.Continue Reading

• 10 GbE: Cutting cabling, boosting virtualization network management

  Embrace the new age of 10 Gbps Ethernet. On a virtualization network, you can aggregate traffic on just two 10-GbE NICs instead of several 1-GbE NICs.Continue Reading

• IT resource management: A new approach for the virtual era

  Once you’ve virtualized, you shouldn’t rely on old IT resource management methods. Take a look at your supply of resources and the demands of VMs.Continue Reading

• Virtual server cluster size: What’s the magic number?

  Just because you can put a lot of hosts in a cluster doesn’t mean you should. Right-sizing a virtual server cluster is a difficult endeavor.Continue Reading

• Combining virtual server backup methods for a complete strategy

  Out of many, one: That should be your virtual server backup motto. Combine snapshots and scripting with other VM backup services for the most complete backup strategy.Continue Reading

• Virtualization storage pros and cons: Shared storage and beyond

  Storage takes on a whole new meaning when virtualization comes into the picture. Shared storage allows you to consolidate resources and provides centralized management.Continue Reading

• Virtualization cost savings: Labor and maintenance

  Virtualizing your infrastructure can save money on labor and server lifecycle maintenance. With fewer physical servers, there's less to provision, monitor and maintain manually.Continue Reading

• Virtualized applications: What's your priority?

  When it comes to virtualizing applications, get your priorities straight. Evaluate ROI and vendor support before deciding which virtualized applications should come first.Continue Reading

• Lifecycle management: Physical vs. virtual machines

  Lifecycle management in a virtual infrastructure poses a few more challenges than you're used to. Without proper lifecycle management, you could end up with VM sprawl.Continue Reading

• Top 5 ways to improve virtualized server infrastructure performance

  To keep virtualized server infrastructure performance at a high level, admins must continually tweak components. Here are five ways to optimize a virtualized server infrastructure.Continue Reading

• Top conversion tools for virtual machine migration

  Conversion tools from hypervisor vendors and third-party companies can help you overcome virtual machine migration challenges. Find out which conversion tools are right for you.Continue Reading

• Private cloud 101: Is your data center ready?

  You can't just wake up one morning and call your data center a private cloud. There's a lot of planning and decision-making to do before you build a private cloud infrastructure.Continue Reading

• Virtual machine provisioning automates, simplifies server provisioning

  Virtual machine provisioning can simplify server provisioning and the management of resource allocation. Know the challenges that come with the benefits and how to overcome them.Continue Reading

• Virtual hardware platform explained

  More flexible resource allocation and improved workload performance are just two of the benefits of having a virtual hardware platform.Continue Reading

• Why Hyper-V R2's Cluster Shared Volumes saves time and money

  Cluster Shared Volumes, Microsoft Hyper-V R2's clustering technology, is a key advancement that can save time and money. Here's why.Continue Reading

• Top five Microsoft server virtualization problems and solutions

  Make short work of any virtualization problems you may encounter by studying the solutions to the five most common Microsoft server virtualization issues.Continue Reading

• Hyper-V installation and management features guide

  This guide on Hyper-V features and hardware requirements explains how to install and manage Hyper-V R2 in Windows Server 2008.Continue Reading

• Raising the I/O virtualization bar with Xsigo Systems' VP780 IO Director

  With Xsigo Systems' I/O virtualization technology, you can dramatically reduce the complexity involved in managing your cables and switching and reduce troubleshooting time.Continue Reading

• Cisco UCS review: Integrating server, storage, network management

  Cisco's UCS, or Unified Computing System architecture, is a standout hardware for virtualization technology by integrates server hardware, storage and network management.Continue Reading

• Using Cluster Shared Volumes in Hyper-V

  Hyper-V's Cluster Shared Volumes improves virtual machine management by making it possible to fail over individual virtual machines from one host to another when their disk files are colocated on the same storage volume.Continue Reading

• Using Live Migration in Hyper-V

  In this section of our guide on Hyper-V installation and management, we explore one of Hyper-V's standout management features: Live Migration, which enables the movement of virtual machines from one host to another without downtimeContinue Reading

• Installing Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008

  This section of our guide on installing and managing Hyper-V in Windows Server 2008 explains the Hyper-V role in Windows Server 2008 and helps you get started with Hyper-V installation.Continue Reading

• Using Virtual Machine Manager for Hyper-V management

  In this section of our guide on managing Hyper-V, we explore using the Virtual Machine Manager service console to manage Hyper-V.Continue Reading

• Capacity planning in virtualized environments FAQ

  Capacity planning lets organizations chart a course for their virtual data centers. Server workload balancing and failover are issues that must be considered with virtualization.Continue Reading

• Maintain virtual logical unit number reliability and performance

  Managing a virtual logical unit number gives storage administrators a great deal of flexibility for moving them around. See how it's done.Continue Reading

• Virtual storage area network meets backup, disaster recovery needs

  Virtual storage area network backups are affordable, flexible and simple using the SANmelody software developed by DataCore.Continue Reading

• VMware vSphere products and features

  Are you looking for a reality check on what VMware vSphere editions offer feature-wise? An expert breaks down the capabilities, pricing and installation concerns of vSphere versions.Continue Reading

• Storage area networks (SAN) vs. network-attached storage (NAS) for virtual storage

  Is a storage area network better than network-attached storage for virtual storage? See why many organizations virtualize only SAN storage, leaving NAS for secondary tasks.Continue Reading

• Virtual machine live migration boosts business continuity, disaster recovery

  Live migration keeps applications available and disaster recovery on track by moving virtual machines from one physical host server to another as condition change.Continue Reading

• Memory overcommit lets virtual machines use more memory

  In theory, memory overcommit may seem like a dangerous proposition, but if you know how to properly assess resource demands, this feature is an asset to your virtual machines.Continue Reading

• Top 5 benefits of server virtualization technology

  An expert outlines the benefits of server virtualization technology, including improved costs, security, efficiency and more.Continue Reading

• Right-sizing VM allocation in the enterprise

  Do you know the secret to successful server consolidation? Learn the secret as well as how to determine and track virtual machine needs in this tip.Continue Reading

• Try these effective virtual storage methods for improved disaster recovery

  Did you know a virtualized DR site is best served with a storage area network? See other tips and tricks to improve your disaster recovery methods.Continue Reading

• Using virtual servers for disaster recovery: The pros and cons

  Want to learn how to have a safe business continuity platform? This article teaches you how to better understand disaster recovery procedures using a virtualization server.Continue Reading

• Deploying and migrating virtual machines faster with VSM tools

  Migrating and deploying virtual machines can be faster and less of a hassle with virtual systems management tools such as inventory management and patch distribution software.Continue Reading

• Blades vs. rack servers: Basic purchasing principles still apply

  Both blade servers and rack-mount servers offer advantages in a virtual environment. But whichever host hardware you choose, remember the basic principles of hardware purchasing.Continue Reading

• Hardware purchasing strategies for virtual deployments

  Server hardware is changing rapidly to meet the needs of virtualization software, but which hardware should you buy? An expert explains processors, memory, compatibility and other considerations.Continue Reading

• Automating virtual performance and availability management: Five target areas

  Too many organizations use manual methods to improve virtual performance and availability. But there are five areas where automated tools can improve results: discovery, physical infrastructure monitoring, virtual infrastructure monitoring, ...Continue Reading

• The benefits of Hyper-V Server 1.0

  Microsoft's Hyper-V Server has advantages over VMware ESXi, says an expert in this Hyper-V benefits and installation tip.Continue Reading

• Using advanced NAS features in virtualization

  Network-attached storage (NAS) devices can simplify virtualization and support larger numbers of VMs with new, advanced features. NAS strategies benefit virtualized environments just as much as higher-end products, as this tip explains.Continue Reading

• Achieving high availability in a virtualized environment

  High availability (HA) in virtual environments now requires an arsenal of tools, including spare hardware provisioning and system health checks for rapid fault detection.Continue Reading

• Using VDI to compound cost and power consumption savings

  A virtual desktop infrastructure can reduce power consumption and compound the savings realized from server consolidation. This tip indicates how one company reaped the benefits of VDI.Continue Reading

• How to avoid virtual server sprawl: Virtualization planning tools, blade server considerations

  Anne Skamarock explains how to avoid virtual server sprawl with consolidation planning toolsets. She also reviews special considerations for consolidating with blades.Continue Reading

• Hardware for virtualization: How to get more from servers, HBAs and more

  Maximize the productivity of virtualization hardware with these tips on servers, network cards, host-bus adaptors and more. Rick Vanover shows how to add more power for less money while still achieving your goal of a successful virtualization ...Continue Reading

• Servers for virtualization

  Virtualization expert Andrew Kutz discusses which server is best for hosting virtual machines.Continue Reading

• PC blades, virtual clients and zero clients

  Barb Goldworm discusses why blade server technology is making a come back in the data center, and talks about virtual and zero clients.Continue Reading

• Is VDI (virtual desktop infrastructure) really all it is cracked up to be?

  Expert Ron Oglesby touches on the pros and cons of VDI in this expert response.Continue Reading

• Consolidation security issues

  When consolidating your data center security issues are bound to pop up. Site expert Andrew Kutz addresses this issue in this expert response.Continue Reading

• Server technologies and virtualization: Blades, racks, Intel and AMD

  An in-depth commentary on virtualization server technologies and trends in processors and servers, blades versus racks and Intel versus AMD.Continue Reading

• Blade servers for virtualization: Enterprise resource guide

  Get quick access to the best blade server resources here. Find out if blades are the right choice for you, get clarification on old blade myths and more.Continue Reading

• Why you should use blade servers for server virtualization and server consolidation

  Barb Goldworm discusses the numerous advantages of blade servers, including space savings, improved scalability, reduced complexity and better manageability.Continue Reading

• Towers, racks and blades -- Server packaging options

  When should you use a tower server, a rack server or a blade server? This excerpt from our e-book, "Windows Servers and Storage," analyzes these three types of server packaging.Continue Reading

• How much air movement does each blade server typically need for cooling?

  This tip shows you exactly how much air movement is needed to cool a blade server.Continue Reading

• Does virtualization work with blade servers?

  What is virtualization? Does it work with blades?Continue Reading