Data center hardware and strategy
Data center hardware includes a broad range of devices. Hardware components that make up the IT infrastructure of a data center include servers and computing equipment, networking equipment and storage equipment, plus additional infrastructure to support it like power and cooling systems. Get insights into developing a data center hardware strategy.
Top Stories
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News
05 Feb 2025
AMD trims delivery time for MI350
AMD plans to send samples of the rack-scale AI chip to key customers in the current quarter. Continue Reading
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News
31 Jan 2025
Intel axes Falcon Shores amid market challenges
Intel decides its limited resources would be better spent on Falcon Shores' successor, Jaguar Shores. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Sep 2014
The case for a leaf-spine data center topology
Three-layer network designs are last season's topology. The leaf-spine model is coming in hot, but can the advantages made data center designers forget about the weaknesses? Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Sep 2014
Centralized versus rack-mount UPS in telecom rooms
How does a rack-mount UPS stack up against a central data center UPS for telecom rooms? Money doesn't necessarily mean power. Continue Reading
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Quiz
19 Aug 2014
A mainframe refresher quiz
Make sure you know what is significant about the mainframe. Take this quiz to find out what you should brush up on. Continue Reading
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Answer
19 Feb 2014
Is LRDIMM the best memory option for an enterprise server?
Load-reduced DIMM allows for more memory and decreased latency than on-server memory typically has. So how does it compare to other DIMM designs? Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Dec 2013
Creating a reliable and fast SAN network design with iSCSI
There are three tenets of designing an iSCSI network correctly. Proper iSCSI deployment yields affordable and reliable network access for the SAN. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Dec 2013
TCP offload's promises and limitations for enterprise networks
TCP offload products free up limited CPU resources in network-intensive data centers. But TCP offload is no panacea and can introduce more problems. Continue Reading
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Answer
08 Nov 2013
What to do when a mainframe IPL stalls out without error messages
When initial program load stalls out on a mainframe logical partition, the culprit is often consoles. Connectivity is one of many potential causes. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Nov 2013
No faults here: Advanced techniques to attain more reliable servers
A new generation of reliability features can keep busy servers running in the face of serious fault conditions. Continue Reading
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Feature
04 Nov 2013
Data center network design moves from tree to leaf
Leaf-spine designs are pushing out the hierarchical tree data center networking model, thanks to the popularity of Ethernet fabric networks. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Aug 2013
Programming thread-safe mainframe applications with the CICS ENQ command
Thread safety in mainframe applications means better vertical integration. Take full advantage with the CICS ENQ command. Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Apr 2013
Five steps to take when the server is down
Companies rely heavily on websites to transact business and stay in contact. Here's how to fix Web server issues and prevent future problems. Continue Reading
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Answer
12 Apr 2013
Are blade servers obsolete?
Blade servers maximize compute density on racks, but are their days numbered? Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Dec 2012
Cut-through versus store-and-forward in Ethernet switch architecture
Switches in the data center can push frames using either store-and-forward or cut-through. Is one Ethernet switch architecture better than the other? Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Jul 2012
Setting traps with SLIP, king of the mainframe debugging tools
How to use SLIP, one of the best mainframe debugging tools, to set traps for annoying bugs. Continue Reading
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Definition
28 Apr 2012
Basic Assembler Language (BAL)
BAL (Basic Assembler Language) is a version of IBM's assembler language (sometimes called assembly language) for its System/360 and System/370 mainframe operating system. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Sep 2011
Implementing SBD STONITH in Linux HA clusters
An SBD STONITH approach is simple to set up and is a reliable way to ensure data integrity in a Linux HA cluster. Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Sep 2011
Basic disassembly: Decoding the opcode
Programmers can find benefit from disassembling object code–a lost art that begins with understanding the opcode. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Jul 2011
When is server hardware too old?
Modern server hardware is allowing systems to handle more jobs and last longer, easing capital expenses for many data centers. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Jul 2011
Transaction and database management on z/OS mainframe systems
Transaction and database management tools for mainframe systems, such as CICS, IMS and DB2, have been around for decades, but have evolved over the years to fit the needs of enterprise customers. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Apr 2011
Safer failover testing procedures for the data center
Haphazard failover testing can be dangerous, but you can minimize the potential risk of data loss or corruption by following a few straightforward procedures. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Mar 2011
Data center management for geographically split data centers
Geographically split data centers can reduce disaster recovery time to zero, but splitting data centers requires an intelligent network and savvy data center management. Continue Reading
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News
03 Mar 2011
1U servers: Features and capabilities introduction
1U servers are well suited to many everyday business tasks. This overview considers the key features -- from processor and memory support to network ports-- of various 1U server offerings. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Dec 2010
Two forgotten but useful CICS transactions
While CICS has evolved its system interface, the lesser-known CICS transactions ADYN and CSFE can still be useful for debugging and other tasks. Continue Reading
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News
21 Oct 2010
Cisco et al. push memory-dense servers; but at what cost?
Today’s x86 servers offer impressive memory densities, but some IT shops want even more. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Jul 2010
How to install Webmin and ease data center server management
In this introduction to Webmin, learn how the tool can make it easier to manage Unix and Linux servers in your data center. An expert describes how to install Webmin and get started with this free systems management tool. Continue Reading
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Tip
14 Apr 2010
Troubleshooting PGMIDERR/AEI0 ABEND in CICS Transaction Gateway
This tip delves into resolving PGMIDERR/AEI0 ABEND errors within the CICS Transaction Gateway. The solution to these errors isn't always an intuitive one, and may require several additional and lengthy steps along the way. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Jan 2010
Dealing with CICS/MQ trigger interface quirks
Despite its simplicity, the CICS/MQ trigger interface has its share of quirks, such as messages left in queues and uneven workload distribution. An expert shares fixes for common CICS/MQ message triggering problems in this tip. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Oct 2009
Developing a successful mainframe migration strategy
A successful mainframe migration strategy requires careful planning to avoid disruption to end users. This tip discusses best practices for migrating, regenerating or replacing mainframe applications. Continue Reading
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Answer
10 Nov 2008
Solve the startup error 00161 and 00163 with IBM TP600?
Error 00161 on an IBM TP600 may be due to a faulty CMOS battery, and 00163 may relate to your version of utility PS2 EXE. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Nov 2008
COBOL, VS-COBOL-II and MFCOBOL: What's the difference?
The original COBOL compiler grew into greater addressability with VS- COBOL-II MFCOBOL and increased functionality in MFCOBOL. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Nov 2008
How to solve abend code 4038
A user faces the abnormal ending abend code 4038 in the process of migrating from VS COBOL runtimes to LE. Continue Reading
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Feature
10 Nov 2008
Override a SYSIN DD DSN in the proc from the JCL?
Override the SYSIN DD Domain Name Source (DNS) in proc using the Job Control Language (JCL) this code syntax. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Oct 2008
Use DFHLS2WS to expose CICS applications as a Web service
DFHLS2WS is one of the Web services assistants that allows traditional CICS applications to provide or consume Web services without significant changes and without getting into the details of SOAP or XML coding. Continue Reading
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Definition
11 Jun 2008
data center chiller
A data center chiller is a cooling system used in a data center to remove heat from one element and deposit it into another element. Chillers are used by industrial facilities to cool the water used in their heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) units. (Continued...) Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Jul 2007
CICSPlex System Manager basics
In this brief overview of CPSM, CICS expert Robert Crawford describes the risks and rewards of using it for system management, automation and workload management. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Mar 2007
CICS program list tables: PLTPI and PLTSD programs
CICS expert Robert Crawford describes the two types of program list tables (PLT) Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Jan 2007
CICS trace: Getting started, formatting and externalizing
CICS expert Robert Crawford describes the handy CICS trace tool and gives code for externalizing its output. Continue Reading
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Tip
02 Jan 2007
Calculating costs of data center cabling infrastructure
In part two of our series on data center cabling decisions, data center infrastructure expert Carrie Higbie offers a cost calculator for determining TCO on a cabling project. Continue Reading