Tips

Tips

• 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

• Get to know Hyper-V 2019 new features and functionality

  Window Server 2019 showed fewer new features than first expected, but Hyper-V admins can benefit from improved support for shielded VMs and the new Admin Center feature.  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

• VMware Workstation vs. VirtualBox: Which is the better hypervisor?

  The Type 2 hypervisor debate between VMware Workstation and Oracle VirtualBox has gotten tougher as the latter has caught up. Examine their advantages to see which fits your needs.  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

• Understand KubeVirt basics to help get you started

  Getting to know KubeVirt prior to use is essential. Though it relies on core Kubernetes technology, running VMs alongside containers is something you might be unfamiliar with.  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

• Top 25 VMware ESXi commands

  This VMware ESXi command line cheat sheet is a must-have resource for IT professionals who maintain and troubleshoot ESXi.  Continue Reading

• 5 Kubernetes adoption considerations you should think about

  Understand the basics of Kubernetes, including how it works and its pros and cons, before deciding whether or not to adopt. Then, figure out how you plan to manage it.  Continue Reading

• Essential virtualization certifications for IT professionals

  As companies move beyond virtualization, the need for IT pros with fine-tuned expertise in cloud administration, ethical hacking, legacy infrastructure migration and automation rises.  Continue Reading

• Explore the Citrix guest UEFI boot feature for modern systems

  A guest boot feature offered by Citrix provides admins with improved system performance, but they should be wary of its continued experimental status.  Continue Reading

• Get to know the VMware HCX platform

  HCX connects on-premises systems, private clouds, VMware Cloud on AWS and hosted cloud infrastructures, creating a hybrid or multi-cloud environment for vSphere workloads.  Continue Reading

• How to copy files to Windows containers

  Once you've deployed Windows containers in your production environment, you can start copying data and files to them using one of three methods, depending on file type and location.  Continue Reading

• Hardware options to support a reverse cloud migration

  Moving back on premises can require new infrastructure if maintenance windows have expired, and admins must meet power and storage demands to ensure apps migrate successfully.  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

• Deploy Microsoft IIS server, .NET apps in Windows containers

  Instead of investing money in migrating your existing .NET applications to .NET Core to modernize them, deploy them in Windows containers with a simple script.  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 are the differences between KVM, Virtuozzo and OpenVZ?

  These virtualization platforms are related, but they vary in terms of whether they're open source or commercial products and the types of instances they provide to run applications.  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

• How resource contention affects VM storage performance

  VM performance issues often occur when resource contention is present. Admins can check the number of IOPS requests and storage array connections to address any bottlenecks.  Continue Reading

• Use vCenter maps to get better insight into your environment

  Managing a VMware environment can be complex, but a single mapping tool can smooth the process significantly by showing the relationships between objects.  Continue Reading

• What is the Citrix vSwitch Controller and what does it do?

  The vSwitch Controller provides admins with extensive visibility into the network environment, making it easier to optimize that environment and improve application performance.  Continue Reading

• When to choose Hyper-V containers over VMs

  There are different use cases for Hyper-V containers and VMs, but the most important thing to take into consideration when choosing between them is your application needs.  Continue Reading

• Learn the ins and outs of Hyper-V containers

  Hyper-V containers, which are secure and lightweight in nature, can be managed using the Docker command line or PowerShell and are best suited for stateless applications.  Continue Reading

• The virtualization and container skills gap widens

  Businesses face organizational and management challenges as their support staff transitions from virtualization to a new development and management environment.  Continue Reading

• How to save and reuse a Windows container image

  With five simple steps, you can create a Windows container, save it as an image and reuse it to create new containers with the same configuration and settings.  Continue Reading

• How to deploy a Docker container to the cloud

  Docker is highly portable and widely available across all major cloud platforms, including AWS and Microsoft Azure, but it's important to properly plan your container deployment.  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

• Choose between 5 hosted hypervisors based on features, use cases

  Hypervisors such as VMware Workstation, VMware Fusion, VMware Horizon 7, Oracle VM VirtualBox and Parallels Desktop provide value to small data centers in different ways.  Continue Reading

• Compare the top 5 bare-metal hypervisors

  Hypervisors such as VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix Hypervisor, RHV and Oracle VM Server for x86 provide value to enterprise-level data centers in different ways.  Continue Reading

• Virtualization cost-savings methods for IT administrators

  The biggest costs in any virtualization environment tend to be licenses, hardware acquisition, support and maintenance, so that's where you should look for ways to reduce expenses.  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

• How to enable Hyper-V Storage QoS and VMware SIOC

  Storage QoS prevents a VM from consuming excessive storage IOPS, but the methods for enabling the feature vary from Microsoft to VMware environments.  Continue Reading

• AWS Firecracker microVMs provide isolation and agility

  Firecracker aims to bridge the gap between VMs and containers with microVMs, which are secure, lightweight instance types for stateless workloads.  Continue Reading

• Xen vs. KVM in 2019 is a no brainer

  Xen might have lost the hypervisor war against KVM, but that doesn't mean it's dead. Niche use cases such as the automotive industry are keeping the open source project alive.  Continue Reading

• Don't count out IBM virtualization on the Z platform

  A mainframe can house hundreds of thousands of VMs and a wide range of workloads. Also, IBM Z provides virtualization management via Dynamic Partition Manager and Wave for z/VM.  Continue Reading

• VMware vSAN and HCI offer secure shared storage for VMs

  Coupling vSAN's all-flash storage features and vSphere availability support with HCI can lead to better resource utilization and workload performance.  Continue Reading

• 5 Windows network drivers supported by containers

  NAT is the default network for container applications, but there are four other available drivers. Each container network driver poses some limitations and must be used carefully.  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

• Bare-metal vs. VM container deployment considerations

  Consider your performance requirements, portability needs and what level of isolation and security you want when deploying containers in your environment.  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

• How to configure Windows container networking

  The default network setting for Windows containers is Network Address Translation, but you can also set up a transparent Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol or non-DHCP network.  Continue Reading

• Compare the pros and cons of container management tools

  From the ever-popular to the obscure, evaluate different container management options based on the user interface, documentation, ease of use, available features and integrations.  Continue Reading

• What container management software features are important?

  Because containers are easy to spin up, the infrastructure can quickly get out of hand. A tool that simplifies container management can help, if it provides certain capabilities.  Continue Reading

• Create Hyper-V containers in Windows Server 2016

  Once you enable the Hyper-V role and Windows container feature, install Docker Engine, container modules and a base OS image to prepare the host for Hyper-V container deployment.  Continue Reading

• Major I/O virtualization vendors and technologies explained

  Technologies that virtualize I/O components offer a number of additional capabilities, such as direct memory access remapping and network queuing for each VM.  Continue Reading

• GPU virtualization evolves with new chip types on the horizon

  GPU-makers Intel, AMD and Nvidia all provide virtualization support; the next step is to merge CPU and GPU functionality to handle both application and math/graphics-related tasks.  Continue Reading

• Understand hardware support for virtualization

  Intel, AMD and ARM processors optimize virtualization in a number of ways, from instruction set extensions to interrupts, via Intel VT, AMD-V, ARMv8, Intel APICv and AMD AVIC.  Continue Reading

• Evaluate remote office/branch office technology trends

  Traditional data center technology, including SD-WANs, HCI, and virtual backup and disaster recovery devices, often supports remote and branch offices.  Continue Reading

• How NFV architecture works

  NFV enables organizations to virtualize operations and replace network equipment such as routers and switches. It's built on three components: VNFs, NFVI and the MANO framework.  Continue Reading

• How to configure a gMSA for Windows containers

  You must start Windows containers with a CredentialSpec file and gMSA name to enable applications to use gMSA credentials in place of local system and network service accounts.  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

• Use branch office servers to support infrastructure expansion

  A remote office setup requires infrastructure that meets performance, cost and space demands. Depending on the vendor, a microserver will likely provide the best compromise.  Continue Reading

• Kata Containers, gVisor offer more secure container strategies

  Kata Containers and Google gVisor present different approaches to using VMs for container security. Evaluate their advantages to get insight into the future of container security.  Continue Reading

• Troubleshoot Host Guardian Service with guarded fabric diagnostics

  Take advantage of the built-in guarded fabric diagnostic tool to discover and resolve common issues that can afflict Host Guardian Service and guarded fabric deployments.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-V Integration Services and VMware Tools improve OSes

  Hyper-V Integration Services and VMware Tools are similar utilities with a few small differences. One is that Hyper-V Integration Services supports fewer guests than VMware Tools.  Continue Reading

• 5 skills every Hyper-V administrator needs to succeed

  Windows Server skills aren't complete without these five Hyper-V skills, which range from failover clustering to storage, and remain essential for virtualization administration.  Continue Reading

• 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

• 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 Hyper-V cluster requirements to maintain high availability

  Hyper-V high availability is important for failover, so check that Hyper-V clusters meet the proper requirements, which range from hardware management to network configuration.  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

• Cloudlets extend cloud power to edge with virtualized delivery

  Cloud computing power for IoT and mobile devices is within reach due to the capabilities of cloudlets, which use virtualization and small data centers to extend computing power.  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

• Manage host, VM access with a Hyper-V administrators security group

  Use Hyper-V roles to limit users to predefined levels of access. By creating security groups and managing them with PowerShell, you can implement role-based security at scale.  Continue Reading

• Generate a Hyper-V report to track clusters, nodes with PowerShell

  It's difficult to navigate all the information related to Hyper-V nodes and clusters, so use PowerShell commands and scripts to generate reports and automate information retrieval.  Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery vs. backup: Plan for and prioritize VM workloads

  Before admins design a recovery plan, they must plan out which VM workloads need a disaster recovery environment and which need backups. Weigh these factors before making the call.  Continue Reading

• How to realize server virtualization energy savings

  Virtualizing servers is one of the most effective steps to reduce energy consumption, especially when the hypervisor and VM placement are taken into account.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-V VM template creation made easy

  Creating Hyper-V VM templates is a straightforward process, but there are a few things you should consider, such as template creation source and administrative password assignment.  Continue Reading

• Enable and disable Hyper-V secure boot with PowerShell

  The manual process of enabling secure boot is time-consuming, so use PowerShell cmdlets and scripts to make it efficient to use secure boot in Hyper-V.  Continue Reading

• Understand the ins and outs of private cloud architecture

  Private clouds are based on server virtualization, but they aren't the same. Organizations must consider private cloud's specific use cases in comparison to server virtualization.  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

• 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

• Hyper-V vs. vSphere high availability features

  Compare VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V HA approaches to see how they keep VMs and other workloads online when a host server crashes.  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

• Get to know the Hyper-V processor compatibility mode feature

  Hyper-V processor compatibility is relatively easy to use, but it disables some advanced CPU features and is only intended for specific circumstances on a temporary basis.  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

• Top five SCVMM 2016 features to look out for

  SCVMM 2016 provides new features, such as Nano Server management, and enhancements to existing networking and security features to better manage the entire virtualization stack.  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

• Use VMware vSphere templates to manage VMs at scale

  VM templates in vSphere enable IT administrators to manage large environments by rapidly deploying fully configured VMs using the content library interface.  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

• Mix test and production environments with hyper-convergence

  Despite the enhanced separation that hyper-converged infrastructure can offer, it's better to mix environments and use rules to create a hardware-independent workload balance.  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

• XCP-ng offers new hypervisor option for cost-conscious shops

  A new open source fork of Citrix XenServer includes many features proprietary hypervisors offer, but it's not likely to displace market leaders any time soon.  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

• Troubleshoot common VM live migration errors

  VM live migration errors in Hyper-V include connection issues, virtual switch mismatches and incompatible hardware. Learn more about these common errors and how to resolve them.  Continue Reading

• Should you virtualize an edge computing server?

  The need to pack a lot of compute power into a small package leaves many wondering whether containers and serverless frameworks could replace virtualization at the edge.  Continue Reading

• SCVMM vs. Hyper-V Manager: Which tasks are best suited to each?

  Although SCVMM offers capabilities far exceeding those of Hyper-V Manager, Hyper-V Manager has the advantage of being simpler to use and not requiring an additional license.  Continue Reading

• Support a guest security policy with endpoint hardening

  Guest security relies not only on a series of tools and best practices, but also on a security mindset that starts with endpoint hardening and follows the deployment of every VM.  Continue Reading

• Serverless infrastructure demands new roles for IT admins

  Serverless technology is going to disrupt the data center, and IT administrators will need to shift their expertise from management to configuration and from servers to services.  Continue Reading

• Make the jump from a VMware SDDC to a hybrid cloud environment

  Get a handle on hybrid basics, such as new SDDC roles and VMware Cloud on AWS infrastructure, pricing and integration before taking your VMware environment to the cloud.  Continue Reading