IT systems management and monitoring
Learn about the tools and technologies that enable more visibility into IT infrastructure, integration between IT management tools, tailored alerts for IT professionals and new areas of performance monitoring and management.
Top Stories
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Tip
04 Feb 2025
How to properly implement Exchange Extended Protection
This security feature can better protect Exchange Server deployments to prevent a wide range of attacks and safeguard sensitive data transmitted over the network. Continue Reading
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News
29 Jan 2025
CISO enlists agentic AI reinforcements for SecOps
AI agents are already in the hands of adversaries. One aerospace CISO has begun to use them to augment his SecOps staff and even the score. Continue Reading
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Tip
07 Dec 2016
Simplify your platform with IT systems management tools
So much effort goes into simply keeping an IT infrastructure up and running. Imagine what more could be accomplished once you automate some of those tasks with IT systems management tools. Continue Reading
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Answer
29 Nov 2016
Should I allow SSH tunneling connections through the firewall?
Allowing users to tunnel through a firewall to access any site creates a security risk. How big of a risk is it? It depends on how much you trust your users. Continue Reading
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Tip
28 Sep 2016
Setting up and controlling resources on a Proxmox cluster
You're learned how to create Proxmox hosts and group them into a cluster. Now it's time to add resources to your cluster and assign access rights to them. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Aug 2016
Patch servers the right way without wasting time
Apply these server patching best practices to save time, reduce complexity, and build an optimal schedule and toolkit. Continue Reading
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Answer
01 Aug 2016
How do I size capacity for VMware oversubscription?
What best practices and tools can I use to allocate the right resources in an oversubscribed virtualization deployment? Continue Reading
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Tip
24 Mar 2016
Adding an additional virtual bridge to a KVM environment
Virtualization expert Sander Van Vugt offers tips to simplify the process of adding a second software bridge to your KVM environment to run VMs in an isolated SDN. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Jan 2016
How can active-active clustering use load balancers?
Active-active clustering and cloud services enable IT workload resilience or redundancy in the enterprise. How does load balancing influence these setups? Continue Reading
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Answer
19 Jan 2016
Hardware vs. software load balancer: Which is better for an enterprise?
Can a software load balancer perform with the same capabilities as a hardware load balancer? Decide which aides enterprise the best in this hardware vs. software load balancer comparison. Continue Reading
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Answer
23 Nov 2015
What works for daily event log monitoring?
I have 80 Windows servers in the data center. What can I use for daily event log monitoring? Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Oct 2015
Change boot settings from a VM BIOS
Often overlooked, a VM's BIOS is more limited than a physical machine's BIOS, but will allow you to adjust boot settings. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Sep 2015
Three steps to avoid server NIC teaming problems
NIC teaming can help reduce resource contention and improve VM performance, but don't fall victim to common mistakes when setting it up. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Mar 2015
What's the effect of network switch buffer in a data center?
What's causing buffer? How much buffer should ideally be available in a network switch? Is there any standard available for buffer? Continue Reading
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Answer
22 Jan 2015
How do I use SR-IOV for Hyper-V VMs?
Single Root I/O Virtualization, or SR-IOV, can help reduce latency and increase I/O throughput when enabled for Hyper-V VMs. Continue Reading
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Feature
02 Dec 2014
Dell OpenManage enterprise system management overview
Dell's OpenManage product suite provides tools and modules to manage both Dell and third-party IT infrastructures. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Oct 2014
Know your data center monitoring system
You can't depend on a building system to run the data center. Implement a BMS and a DCIM tool to monitor and predict system changes, tighten security and more. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Oct 2013
Five tips for selecting system management tools
Too much granularity? Not enough? Need alerts? Maybe not. There are five considerations for systems management tools -- and cost isn't one of them. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Oct 2013
How and when to enable hardware-based TPM security on servers
Most servers include a Trusted Platform Module, but you only want to turn it on and manage TPM when the server handles high-value encrypted workloads. Continue Reading
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Tip
23 Aug 2013
The requisite and advanced features of performance monitoring software
All performance monitoring tools must include certain core features, and advanced features can boost application performance and return on investment. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Jul 2013
Tailoring server BIOS settings for cool servers without wasting energy
A few tweaks to server BIOS settings will keep fans quiet and workloads processing smoothly, allowing data centers to consume less energy. Continue Reading
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Feature
28 Jun 2013
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
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Answer
16 Apr 2013
How KVM over IP makes remote systems management easier
Remote systems management using KVM over IP is helping businesses avoid the costs associated with travel while improving support response times. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Feb 2013
Using Zabbix with embedded devices via SNMP monitoring
Some devices you want to monitor with Zabbix cannot have software installed. For these appliances, SNMP monitoring may be the right choice. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Oct 2012
Common causes of a failed Hyper-V live migration
Hyper-V live migration helps admins maintain infrastructures. But a few common configuration snafus can cause failures. Do you know what to look for? Continue Reading
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Tip
12 Jan 2012
Managing and monitoring server log data
See how proactive system administrators help themselves avoid a security breach by putting an effective log management policy in place. Continue Reading
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Tip
01 Dec 2011
Data center monitoring system considerations
An effective monitoring system can track environmental variables and alert admins of a potential problem before it becomes a critical emergency. Continue Reading
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Tip
01 Nov 2011
Prioritizing alerts with server monitoring tools
Setting and prioritizing alerts with server monitoring tools can help an administrator respond quickly to critical problems without being bothered by insignificant alarms. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Oct 2011
Weighing the pros and cons of the Trusted Computing Platform
When used as designed, trusted computing can provide a high level of security, but limitations and potential for abuse prohibits its usefulness. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Dec 2010
Using OpenNMS and SNMP for open source systems management
Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) can allow a deeper look into system information gathered from OpenNMS. This tip walks through network monitoring with OpenNMS and SNMP. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Nov 2010
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
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Tip
07 Oct 2009
Check server specs before upgrading your operating system
Operating system upgrades can be tricky with the number of variables involved. Users need to research server hardware specifications and OS requirements before upgrading. Continue Reading
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Tip
04 Feb 2009
Using HP Systems Insight Manager (SIM) 5.2 for systems management and monitoring
Hewlett-Packard (HP) Co.'s Systems Insight Manager (SIM) 5.2 offers systems management and monitoring for HP servers or WMI-, SNMP- or WBEM-enabled systems. SIM works with HP's Integrated Lights-Out (iLO) management modules to detect hardware problems and can monitor system information such as processor and memory utilization, network bandwidth, and more. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Feb 2008
Windows Server 2008: PowerShell basics and top commands
The Microsoft PowerShell team offers up the top commands and usage scenarios for the new command line shell and scripting language for Windows Server 2008 Continue Reading
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Answer
20 Mar 2007
Best practices for naming VMware virtual machines
Are you naming your VMware virtual machines in a way that will help you keep track of where they are and what they do? If not, you must read this expert response by Andrew Kutz. Continue Reading