Tips

Tips

• Got multiple virtualization vendors? Learn to convert virtual disks

  Virtualization vendors don’t have virtual disk format standards. If you use multiple virtualization platforms, you’ll have to convert from one vendor’s disk format to another’s.  Continue Reading

• From Xen to KVM: Making sense of changes in RHEL 6

  Migrating VMs from Xen to KVM virtualization sounds daunting, but Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6 includes tools to ease the transition. These migration tools are among other new virtualization features in RHEL 6.  Continue Reading

• Top 10 virtualization management tools

  There are lots of virtualization management tools out there, but which ones are right for your infrastructure? Here are 10 tools data center managers should consider.  Continue Reading

• VM backup methods for quick VM recovery

  Some VM backup methods offer quicker restores than others. With these two approaches, you can have VM recovery in just a few minutes, even for terabyte-sized servers.  Continue Reading

• Virtualization security: How vulnerable is your hypervisor?

  Choosing the right hypervisor for your infrastructure is not only critical for deployment and management purposes, but it also comes into play with virtualization security.  Continue Reading

• Windows VSS virtual machine backup strategies: Hyper-V vs. VMware

  For a strong virtual machine backup strategy, Windows VSS must 'play nice' with other host components. But it works differently in VMware and Hyper-V environments.  Continue Reading

• Using Windows VSS for virtual machine backup

  The goal of virtual machine backup is to create and store an exact copy of a VM. But when changes occur during the backup process, you need Windows VSS to ensure consistency.  Continue Reading

• XenServer management for the VMware administrator

  If you’re a VMware administrator, you may not have ventured outside the VMware realm. But learning XenServer management with the command line can round out your infrastructure skills.  Continue Reading

• Endpoint virtualization vs. server virtualization: Server requirements

  Endpoint virtualization is a new level of server virtualization, but there are some important differences in the two implementations and how end users interact with the server.  Continue Reading

• KVM live migration with the Linux command line

  KVM live migration wasn’t always possible. But now it’s easy, thanks to the Linux command line. Just make sure you meet a few important requirements.  Continue Reading

• Virtualization challenges: Security, storage and VM sprawl

  The deeper you get into a virtualization project, the more challenges you face. Virtualization security and backup management are some of the most common.  Continue Reading

• Infrastructure change management and performance monitoring

  Virtual machine performance monitoring helps keep VMs available, but you also need infrastructure change management to document configuration changes and prevent VM sprawl.  Continue Reading

• Five easy VM administration tips and virtualization best practices

  VM administration poses challenges for IT personnel. But if you follow these virtualization best practices, your infrastructure can run more efficiently and securely.  Continue Reading

• Overcoming virtualization challenges: Capacity planning, provisioning

  The abstraction of virtualization makes resource provisioning tricky. Without proper capacity planning, over-allocation can affect performance and waste resources.  Continue Reading

• How server load-balancing services work: VMware DRS, Microsoft SCVMM

  If you know how your load-balancing service calculates the ins and outs of virtual server load balancing, you can tune clusters to better meet your organization's needs...  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

• Virtual application performance testing: An art form

  Application performance testing reveals how virtualized applications will perform in production. Consider user experience, vendor requirements and factors that affect performance.  Continue Reading

• Server cluster high-availability gotchas: DNS and failover

  Sometimes, high availability is a problem not a solution. Be on the lookout for numerous behaviors in a server cluster that can extend VM downtime after a failure.  Continue Reading

• High-availability architecture: Redundancy vs. abstraction

  If you're getting more involved with virtualization, you may want to take another look at your high-availability architecture. Redundancy and abstraction can help prevent problems.  Continue Reading

• Using redundant network architecture and storage pools for HA

  Building a redundant network architecture and placing all your VMs on a storage pool is an efficient way to achieve high availability in your virtual data center.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-V Dynamic Memory vs. VMware memory overcommit

  Memory allocation can be a guessing game in virtualized environments. Hyper-V Dynamic Memory and VMware memory overcommit tackle the problem in different ways.  Continue Reading

• Virtual security: New attack vectors, new ballgame

  With physical security, you don't have to consider breaches of virtual machines, utilities or virtual disk files. But virtualization creates new security risks and vulnerabilities.  Continue Reading

• Virtual network security best practices

  Since a network itself can become an attack vector, you need network security best practices to prevent a breach. Isolating vSwitches on your management network and using security apps intended for virtualization are two key tactics.  Continue Reading

• How to monitor virtual memory with Hyper-V Dynamic Memory

  With Hyper-V Dynamic Memory, you can allocate and monitor virtual memory levels to prevent VMs from experiencing negative memory.  Continue Reading

• Virtual memory settings in Hyper-V Dynamic Memory

  Virtual memory settings in Hyper-V Dynamic Memory configure extra space on VMs during memory allocation. This feature makes virtual memory allocation more precise and easier.  Continue Reading

• How virtual memory allocation works with Hyper-V Dynamic Memory

  Historically, allocating the right amount of virtual memory to Hyper-V virtual machines was a guessing game. But Hyper-V Dynamic Memory does the job for you.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-V Live Migration terms: brownout, blackout and dirty pages

  You may not know about brownouts, blackouts and dirty pages in Hyper-V Live Migrations, but they are useful for monitoring virtual machine live migration.  Continue Reading

• Virtualization hypervisor comparison: Type 1 vs. Type 2 hypervisors

  This virtualization hypervisor comparison takes a look at the Type 1 hypervisor, which enables hardware virtualization, and the Type 2 hypervisor, which runs atop existing OSes.  Continue Reading

• Using virtual appliances to make software deployment easier

  Virtual appliances, or VAPs, are virtual machine templates that bundle OSes and applications. They can reduce software deployment time and offer several new capabilities as well.  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

• Hypervisors: Which is right for you?

  Most hypervisors have the same basic features, but the devil is in the details. Comparing hypervisors' CPU usage, memory and processor support will help you make the right choice.  Continue Reading

• Xen-to-KVM virtual machine migration: A step-by-step guide

  Red Hat is working on a tool to simplify the Xen-to-KVM virtual machine migration process. In the meantime, moving from Xen to KVM requires manual work in the Linux command line.  Continue Reading

• Meeting PCI DSS requirements in a virtual environment

  PCI DSS requirements don't address virtualized environments, but if there's a data breach, you're responsible. To avoid hefty fines, secure your hosts, VMs, storage and networking.  Continue Reading

• Esxtop: Troubleshooting ESX servers with performance metrics

  Colorful pie charts depicting ESX server performance look great, but sometimes you need more powerful metrics. The esxtop command retrieves key performance metrics.  Continue Reading

• Windows Failover Cluster: The importance of the coordinator node

  The Windows Failover Cluster architecture is complex, but using the coordinator node to perform certain tasks can minimize the time sink.  Continue Reading

• Virtualization implementation: Nine steps to success

  Virtualization implementation projects are complicated, but if you assess your environment, plan properly and follow these tips, they can be relatively painless.  Continue Reading

• How to solve disk I/O performance problems with pass-through disks

  Pass-through disks improve disk I/O performance in virtual environments. Find out when to use these storage disks and how to incorporate them into your virtualization strategy.  Continue Reading

• SCVMM PowerShell scripts simplify administrative tasks

  Using SCVMM PowerShell scripts to perform tedious management tasks can simply your life. SCVMM PowerShell scripts are more powerful and customizable than GUI-based tools.  Continue Reading

• Virtual server infrastructure design, planning and deployment

  Virtual server infrastructure planning involves choosing a platform and hardware. Make the right choices by following these best practices for virtual server infrastructure design.  Continue Reading

• When direct-attached storage makes sense

  While direct-attached storage isn't sexy, it offers solid performance at a low price. If you've considered DAS, here are scenarios where it may make sense.  Continue Reading

• Top Hyper-V PowerShell cmdlets for basic tasks

  Hyper-V PowerShell cmdlets help write scripts, which are more customizable than GUI-based tools. Here are some basic cmdlets for use with Hyper-V PowerShell.  Continue Reading

• VM errors: The case of the disappearing virtual machine

  The root cause of a VM error can be difficult to pinpoint. Here's the tale of a randomly disappearing VM, and how to prevent this VM error in your environment.  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

• Antivirus scans: How to improve performance in virtual environments

  Antivirus scans are notorious for ruining virtual environment performance. Here are some ways to avoid that problem without forgoing antivirus scans altogether.  Continue Reading

• Xen live migration software and hardware configuration

  In virtual environments, Linux stacks can't afford downtime. Here's how to set Xen live migration to preempt disruption and create redundancy.  Continue Reading

• Managing Virtual Hard Disk data with encapsulation

  Encapsulating Virtual Hard Disk data may seem like the best way to manage Hyper-V storage. Pass-through disks, however, offer backup and restoration advantages over huge VHD files.  Continue Reading

• Red Hat vs. Ubuntu KVM virtualization: Which is best?

  Red Hat and Ubuntu KVM technologies share similar architecture, but the management features available for Red Hat KVM sets the distribution apart.  Continue Reading

• Virtual disk performance and VM snapshot issues in Microsoft Hyper-V

  As he dips his toes in the Hyper-V waters, VMware expert Mike Laverick finds some downsides to the VM snapshot process and virtual disk performance.  Continue Reading

• VMware's single pane of glass vs. Hyper-V's management consoles

  Managing virtualization through a single pane of glass is all the rage these days, but as VMware expert Mike Laverick discovers, Hyper-V requires multiple management consoles.  Continue Reading

• Disaster recovery implementation with Hyper-V

  Once you finalize the logistics for a disaster recovery implementation with Hyper-V, installing and configuring the various components is relatively simple.  Continue Reading

• Connecting an iSCSI storage system to XenServer

  Attaching an iSCSI storage system to XenServer allows administrators to use advanced virtualization features, such as live migration. Here's how.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-V failover: Building a multi-site cluster

  For Hyper-V failover purposes, learn how to build a multi-site cluster to move data off-site during an network or power outage.  Continue Reading

• How to configure Citrix XenServer live migration

  To set up XenServer live migration, all you have to do is install XenServer on server hosts, deploy XenCenter and install the XenServer Tools package in the virtual machine.  Continue Reading

• How to calculate ROI and TCO for virtualization projects

  Finding out how to calculate ROI and TCO can be a challenge with virtualization projects. Depend more on your ROI calculations and less on vendors' virtualization ROI calculators.  Continue Reading

• Data center planning considerations for high availability

  Sure, virtualization brings flexibility, but high-availability data center planning is still crucial. Take full advantage of the benefits of data center high availability.  Continue Reading

• Virtual server migration tools

  This section of our virtual server migration guide outlines various virtual server migration tools for virtualization environments and outlines the pros and cons of manual, semi-automated and fully automated server migration tools.  Continue Reading

• Why virtual machine updates are so important

  Virtual machine updates and patches require a game plan. This checklist helps eliminate the problems associated with virtual machine update management.  Continue Reading

• Virtualization costs include software, hardware and labor

  Virtualization software, hardware and labor will all affect your TCO and ROI calculations. Consider them all to get a true picture of your virtualization costs.  Continue Reading

• Calculate return on investment before moving to server virtualization

  Server virtualization is an obvious money-saver, but you still need to calculate return on investment. There are often hidden costs that will affect your virtualization ROI.  Continue Reading

• Six VM backup mistakes to avoid when backing up Hyper-V

  Virtualization complicates the server backup process. Here are six VM backup mistakes you should avoid to eliminate headaches and reduce VM downtime when backing up Hyper-V.  Continue Reading

• Network consolidation and virtualization solve management problems

  Consolidation and virtualization are a natural fit, but not just for servers. Network consolidation can also benefit your virtual infrastructure, as long as you focus on security.  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

• VM snapshot backup process explained

  Although virtual machines are dynamic, they still need to be protected from hardware failures. A VM snapshot backup is one way to protect virtualized data at a point in time.  Continue Reading

• Creating a VM clone for a virtual machine template

  Cloning a virtual machine is an efficient alternative to creating a new VM for test and development. This tip offers a walkthrough on how to create a VM clone.  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

• How a Windows or Linux clustered file system works

  When server clusters operate collaboratively, the deployment of a Windows or Linux clustered file system becomes necessary.  Continue Reading

• Xen virtualization vs. KVM virtualization architecture

  Xen virtualization and KVM virtualization architecture differ. If you're considering open source virtualization, this section of our guide explores these virtualization technologies.  Continue Reading

• Xen open source virtual machine monitor explained

  Virtual machine live migration functionality is just one of the features that make the Xen open source virtual machine monitor appealing. Go in-depth with this technology with this expanded definition.  Continue Reading

• Red Hat Enterprise Linux virtualization architecture

  In this section of our guide on open source virtualization software, we explore Red Hat Enterprise Linux virtualization architecture and libvert, RHEL's default management tool.  Continue Reading

• VM cluster approach improves virtual machine performance

  Virtual machine clusters and redundant VM hosts can improve virtual machine performance and availability, but you need to configure them properly for mission-critical workloads.  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

• Virtual network software: The basis of network virtualization

  Virtual network software enables internal and external virtual networking, and both methods have their share of performance benefits and management headaches.  Continue Reading

• ISCSI vs. NFS for virtualization shared storage

  Virtualization experts debate ISCSI vs. NFS for shared storage in a virtual environment.  Continue Reading

• Data center storage virtualization considerations

  Before making data center storage virtualization decisions, consider storage performance and redundant storage access, among other issues  Continue Reading

• Killing Hyper-V high-availability cluster services and network issues

  Killing Hyper-V high-availability cluster services is never an easy decision. This tip covers when and how to pull the plug on clusters and how to solve network issues.  Continue Reading

• Hyper-V cluster performance problems and how to fix them

  Improving Hyper-V cluster performance begins with addressing volume GUID changes and IT administrative errors. Find out how.  Continue Reading

• Clustering problems with Hyper-V VM configuration files, VM states

  Microsoft Hyper-V clustering problems, such as orphaned VM configuration files and unsynchronized VM states, require these workarounds to preserve system stability.  Continue Reading

• The best virtualization hardware guide

  This best virtualization hardware guide explains the key hardware to consider whether you're implementing first-time virtualization or existing upgrading data center infrastructure.  Continue Reading

• Compare bare-metal hypervisors and hosted hypervisors

  Bare-metal hypervisors are the most commonly deployed hypervisor, installed directly onto the computing hardware. Learn what a hosted hypervisor, which runs within the OS, can do.  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 subnets to isolate network traffic in Hyper-V

  In a Hyper-V environment, isolating network traffic through a series of subnets and network interface cards can prevent against failures and security breaches.  Continue Reading

• Using VMware Distributed Power Management

  With VMware Distributed Power Management and Distributed Resource Schedule, you can reduce data center power consumption in a major way.  Continue Reading

• How to configure VLANs with a network design diagram

  Even though Hyper-V lacks a network visualization tool, there are other ways to create a network design diagram to help you configure VLANs and add virtual switches.  Continue Reading

• Understanding VMware Fault Tolerance benefits and requirements

  VMware's Fault Tolerance for high availability can reduce virtual machine and application downtime to zero in a VMware environment. But there are hardware requirements for VMware FT.  Continue Reading

• Resource pool security procedures in a virtual infrastructure

  Do you know how to secure your resource pool and tightly manage who has access to it? Learn how to identify people as they enter your virtual infrastructure.  Continue Reading

• The top free VMware scripting and command-line tools

  This section of our virtualization freeware guide explains how free VMware scripting and command-line tools such as VMware PowerCLI automate key vSphere administration tasks.  Continue Reading

• Migration from physical to virtual servers explained

  Do you know how or when to migrate from a physical server to a virtual server? Follow these steps to make the most of server migration tools and move to virtual machines.  Continue Reading

• The benefits -- and limitations -- of VMware High Availability

  VMware High Availability (VMHA) is a key disaster recovery tool, enabling failover of virtual machines to another physical host in a cluster -- as well as VM monitoring. But it has some limitations compared with other fault tolerance technologies.  Continue Reading

• Understanding VMware ESX features

  An expert outlines VMware ESX features and ESX hardware compatibility and installation concerns.  Continue Reading

• VMware products and features: An overview

  Perplexed by the steady stream of VMware products? This overview dissects VMware features and product bundles and helps identify if VMware suits your virtualization environment.  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

• Understanding VMware ESXi features

  If you're concerned about the ostensible 'limitations' of ESXi – VMware's scaled-down free hypervisor – an expert outlines ESXi's core features and compares ESXi and ESX.  Continue Reading

• Understanding how VMware VMotion live migration works

  VMware's VMotion live migration is one of the most sought-after features of vSphere. An expert explains how VMotion works and its significance.  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

• Virtual machine performance monitoring approaches and tools

  To gauge virtual machine performance or detect failure, decide whether to monitor from inside or outside a VM and then choose a monitoring tool that works with your hypervisor.  Continue Reading

• The pros and cons of clustered virtual host environments

  A Hyper-V clustered virtual host environment offers benefits, including enhanced server availability. But you still need to weigh whether clustered hosts are worth your IT department's time.  Continue Reading

• Which high-availability strategy is best for your VMs?

  Did you know that a software bug could crash a VM and even cripple a VM platform? Learn HA strategies that keep workloads running when trouble threatens a mission-critical VM.  Continue Reading

• Hypervisor pricing and licensing comparison guide

  When choosing the best hypervisor, a pricing and licensing comparison is a must. VMware, Microsoft and Citrix all offer different prices and hypervisor licensing policies.  Continue Reading

• Three methods to make virtual machines highly available

  Are you afraid that your server might fail and lose crucial data? Learn key methods to protect your production workloads and ensure that they're always available.  Continue Reading

• Understanding Hyper-V's failover settings in Failover Cluster Management

  Virtual machines that are colocated onto hosts can pose compliance risks. There are workarounds, including the use of Failover Cluster Management, to secure Hyper-V environments.  Continue Reading