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
28 Mar 2025
Follow Patch Tuesday best practices for optimal results
Microsoft releases most security updates on Patch Tuesday, a day that brings anxiety to many sys admins. Learn how to develop a strategy to test and deploy these fixes. Continue Reading
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Tip
27 Mar 2025
APM vs. observability: Key differences explained
If you're debating using application performance monitoring and observability to gather system data and improve the user experience, consider these differences between them. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Jan 2019
Manage application log files with the right tools and guidelines
IT operations teams face costly and complicated steps to monitor the crucial data in log files. Learn to use log management and aggregation tools to interpret trends without waste. Continue Reading
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Tip
03 Jan 2019
How to improve help desk support via knowledge management
Your organization's help desk support system could be more efficient. Find out how knowledge management and natural language processing solve hidden IT woes. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Dec 2018
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
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Answer
18 Dec 2018
Manage SCVMM logical networks with PowerShell
Use System Center Virtual Machine Manager and PowerShell to make logical network management easy. Execute a script to display network virtualization information in a simple chart. Continue Reading
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Tip
17 Dec 2018
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
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Tip
10 Dec 2018
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
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Tip
05 Dec 2018
Create an IT support process to take on any outage
Every IT incident must be met with a streamlined resolution procedure, all the way from critical to trivial. Ensure those plans are in place before it's do or die. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Dec 2018
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
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Answer
29 Nov 2018
What's the best way to achieve Hyper-V security for hosts?
Hyper-V security is complicated, but you can set the foundation of your security strategies by following a few best practices, such as simplification and encryption. Continue Reading
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Answer
29 Nov 2018
Hyper-V 2016 security comes down to VM considerations
Secure guest VMs and OSes to ensure Hyper-V security Continue Reading
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Answer
28 Nov 2018
Use shielded VMs, guarded fabric to enable Hyper-V encryption
Enable Hyper-V encryption using guarded fabric, the Host Guardian Service and shielded VM technologies. Host systems must be proven trustworthy before operating protected VMs. Continue Reading
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Answer
27 Nov 2018
How does Linux Secure Boot affect Hyper-V 2016 VMs?
Linux Secure Boot can help ensure you're booting trusted OSes, but navigating different distributions and digital signatures can be challenging without these considerations. Continue Reading
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News
20 Nov 2018
Kibana monitoring apps zoom in on Kubernetes infrastructure
A new set of time-series Kubernetes infrastructure monitoring and APM tools in version 6.5 of Elastic Stack take their place among many choices for IT pros. Continue Reading
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News
16 Nov 2018
AWS Lambda monitoring goes mainstream with New Relic beta
New Relic users and prospects will investigate AWS Lambda monitoring features released in private beta, as serverless usage filters in to enterprise IT shops. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Nov 2018
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
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Tip
14 Nov 2018
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
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Answer
12 Nov 2018
Setting up Hyper-V replication requires preplanning
Hyper-V replication is easy to use, but there are a number of steps you should take during Hyper-V replication setup to ensure you stay abreast of potential failures and data loss. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Nov 2018
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
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Answer
02 Nov 2018
How do you find Hyper-V nodes with PowerShell?
Manage Hyper-V clusters more easily with PowerShell cmdlets and scripts that automate the retrieval and display of node information, including node statuses. Continue Reading
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Tip
31 Oct 2018
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
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Tip
29 Oct 2018
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
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Feature
26 Oct 2018
Buy the right help desk tools to track and resolve incidents
Help desk management tools help admins manage, track and resolve problems. Learn about the leading products and the reporting, communication and support features they offer. Continue Reading
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Opinion
25 Oct 2018
Invest in an IT infrastructure upgrade -- or keep fixing it
Because upgrades to infrastructure equipment can be expensive and difficult, the easier decision is to renew a support contract. But delay comes at a cost, too. Continue Reading
- 25 Oct 2018
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News
22 Oct 2018
IT pros shore up Prometheus monitoring via third-party tools
Upstream Prometheus monitoring isn't ready for prime time in enterprise environments, but it gets by with a little help from its friends, such as Sysdig and Rancher Labs. Continue Reading
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Answer
16 Oct 2018
What VM automation tools are available?
There are many different VM automation tools available -- some of them part of much wider product and feature suites. Determine which features you need and find the tool that works. Continue Reading
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Answer
16 Oct 2018
What are the most common virtualization automation mistakes?
Avoid automation issues by coordinating with the wider organization to ensure employees know how to provision resources and remain aware of evolving business needs and policies. Continue Reading
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Answer
15 Oct 2018
What are the primary use cases for VM deployment automation?
Automate the deployment of VMs to meet the demand for resources while ensuring each VM remains properly configured and follows lifecycle and governance policies. Continue Reading
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News
12 Oct 2018
New Relic acquisition of CoScale boosts Kubernetes prowess
Kubernetes monitoring is all the rage, and New Relic's CoScale buy gives it an edge in an increasingly noisy market for container monitoring tools. Continue Reading
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Tip
05 Oct 2018
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
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Tip
27 Sep 2018
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
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Tip
26 Sep 2018
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
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Answer
20 Sep 2018
Is your VM frozen? Isolate the cause and problem solve
Many issues cause VMs to become unresponsive, including invoking particular tasks, such as snapshots or migrations, resource configuration and infrastructure unavailability. Continue Reading
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Answer
20 Sep 2018
Common VM network latency causes explained
There are many potential causes of network performance problems when it comes to VMs. Familiarize yourself with the most common causes to aid in troubleshooting. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Sep 2018
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
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Tip
17 Sep 2018
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
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News
11 Sep 2018
PagerDuty incident response tools loop in business stakeholders
PagerDuty follows Atlassian with incident response tracking for corporate management, while IT pros on the front lines of incident triage also seek enhancements to low-level alerting configurations. Continue Reading
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Feature
11 Sep 2018
Assess IT help desk software options based on these features
Explore communication channels, ticket management, agent management, knowledge base options and reporting capabilities when evaluating prospective help desk management software. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Sep 2018
Anomaly detection methods unleash microservices performance
When distributed applications run in containers, admins suddenly have a whirlwind of metrics to track instead of just a short list. These methods reach into the heart of the task. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
07 Sep 2018
Create and configure a shielded VM in Hyper-V
In just a few easy steps, including installing a Host Guardian Service server and creating certificates, you can shield a Hyper-V VM to protect it against access or tampering. Continue Reading
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Tip
29 Aug 2018
Application performance metrics and tools fit for modern architectures
Distributed applications and cloud hosting have led to new application interactions and KPI categories -- and different performance concerns need different metrics. Continue Reading
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Answer
28 Aug 2018
Open source hypervisor technical support, update considerations
Even though open source software itself is completely free to obtain and use, effective hypervisor technical support options for production environments might cost money. Continue Reading
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News
27 Aug 2018
VMware vSphere update tweaks HTML5 client, bundles AppDefense
Hoping to keep its broad base of vSphere users engaged, VMware debuted an updated version of the virtualization offering and a version bundled with AppDefense. Continue Reading
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Answer
27 Aug 2018
Is the XenServer hypervisor worth the cost?
There is a free, easy-to-obtain version of Citrix XenServer, but additional features and commercial support from Citrix -- which some shops might need -- require a license. Continue Reading
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Answer
24 Aug 2018
Evaluate Oracle VM Server as a potential hypervisor
Oracle VM provides useful features such as high availability and live migration, but it's important for admins to size the server for the workloads it's intended to host. Continue Reading
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Answer
23 Aug 2018
Red Hat Virtualization hypervisor adoption considerations
IT admins considering Red Hat Virtualization might inadvertently overlook certain system requirements or forget to consider whether they need support. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Aug 2018
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
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Tip
15 Aug 2018
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
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Tip
14 Aug 2018
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
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Tip
13 Aug 2018
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
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News
10 Aug 2018
AIOps platforms delve deeper into root cause analysis
AIOps tools offer fresh insights into the root cause of IT incidents, triangulating between application outages, code changes and infrastructure issues. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Aug 2018
ITSM automation helps advance network automation
IT service management helps close the gap between IT staff and business needs, as artificial intelligence and machine learning work with ITSM automation to usher in network automation. Continue Reading
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Tip
06 Aug 2018
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
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Tip
31 Jul 2018
Find the ideal incident management automation tool or tools
Unless the data center floods or a digger cuts a network cable, incident management takes place via software tools. The quality of these tools determines how quickly work can resume. Continue Reading
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Answer
31 Jul 2018
How do you decide to scale up or scale out a workload?
Scaling up or scaling out is not a decision to be made lightly. Use monitoring data to determine the strategy that fits your use case and to inform future decisions. Continue Reading
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Answer
31 Jul 2018
How do you analyze the costs of virtualization scalability?
It's easy to allocate more resources to a VM, but scaling decisions require careful deliberation. Without retrospective analysis, scaling can quickly become costly. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 Jul 2018
Three log analytics use cases set better ops in motion
The path to more resilient, bug-free and available IT deployments is hiding in plain sight, in log data. Parse short- and long-term data these three ways to improve operations. Continue Reading
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Tutorial
23 Jul 2018
Create a shielded VM template in SCVMM in four easy steps
SCVMM templates simplify the process of deploying shielded VMs. Prepare the disk to use shielded VM technology before creating the template. Continue Reading
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Tip
20 Jul 2018
Manage all your Hyper-V snapshots with PowerShell
Using PowerShell commands to take and remove Hyper-V snapshots, and to restore VMs to a previous state is easy and efficient, especially when working with bulk VMs. Continue Reading
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Tip
19 Jul 2018
Manage Hyper-V containers and VMs with these best practices
Containers and VMs should be treated as the separate instance types they are, but there are specific management strategies that work for both that admins should incorporate. Continue Reading
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Feature
17 Jul 2018
Log analytics tools gain application performance support skills
Log analytics tools are boosting real-time capabilities to monitor application performance, and users are in the market for tools that best slice, dice and store log data. Continue Reading
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Feature
16 Jul 2018
Resolve problems right with a help desk management system
Help desk management tools keep employees working after problems and outages occur. Discover the extensive benefits the right platform can provide. Continue Reading
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Opinion
10 Jul 2018
Modern service management, DevOps streamline app administration
DevOps and service management are synonymous in modern IT, insofar as their guidelines match. Regardless of the term, ensure organizational practices are built for today's reqs. Continue Reading
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Tip
10 Jul 2018
Set up Hyper-V nested virtualization for production
There are several considerations for using nested virtualization in Hyper-V production environments, including system requirements, networking, storage and memory considerations. Continue Reading
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Tip
09 Jul 2018
Zabbix monitoring requires experience for best results
Not every IT tool is as easy to learn as it is potentially useful. Zabbix offers several views into an environment, but that flexibility comes at the price of admin experience. Continue Reading
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Feature
27 Jun 2018
How to deploy and administer help desk management software
Help desk tools help IT manage the submission, status and resolution of employee help desk tickets. Read on to learn about common help desk challenges and the latest trends. Continue Reading
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Tip
25 Jun 2018
How the Nagios monitoring tool tracks IT environment details
Nagios users can monitor diverse components of an IT infrastructure, across Linux and Windows OSes, networks and servers, so long as they roll up their sleeves and dig into agents and plug-ins. Continue Reading
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Tip
22 Jun 2018
Consider Hyper-V live migration requirements before configuration
An effective live migration setup is key to a complete Hyper-V configuration. Consider these expert recommendations, such as limiting concurrent live migrations, to ensure success. Continue Reading
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Tip
21 Jun 2018
Prepare a Hyper-V configuration report with PowerShell
Generate a report with valuable Hyper-V configuration information, such as the virtual disk path, using a PowerShell script to ensure your server settings match the design documentation. Continue Reading
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Answer
18 Jun 2018
How many Hyper-V virtual processors should I configure per VM?
There isn't a set number of virtual processors you should configure for a Hyper-V VM, but there are steps you can take to ensure your workloads receive enough processor resources. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 Jun 2018
KVM troubleshooting in six simple steps
To troubleshoot common KVM issues, start by checking the logs. Then, isolate the issue and check the VM status using virsh commands. Finally, check the disk space, memory and networking. Continue Reading
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Feature
14 Jun 2018
Cisco roadmap plots course through clouds to DevOps future
From a Google Cloud partnership to API-based network data integration, Cisco showcased application hosting flexibility and DevOps process flows in its product plans at its annual conference. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Jun 2018
Manage Switch Embedded Teaming in Windows Server 2016 Hyper-V
You can create and manage a Switch Embedded Team in Hyper-V using just a few PowerShell commands, but there are specific requirements and limitations you should be aware of. Continue Reading
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News
12 Jun 2018
Splunk's VictorOps acquisition extends alerts, but narrows lanes
Splunk's purchase of VictorOps, its fifth deal in the past year, adds DevOps incident management, on-call scheduling and alerting, and opens doors into adjacent markets. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 Jun 2018
Use Sysprep to generalize Hyper-V VMs for rapid deployment
Microsoft's Sysprep tool enables rapid Hyper-V VM configuration and deployment through image generalization. Use commands to speed up configuration and disaster recovery. Continue Reading
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Answer
08 Jun 2018
What is the Hyper-V VHD Set format and how is it optimized?
VHD File Set -- a file format new to Windows Server 2016 -- is helpful for IT administrators using guest clusters. Get up to speed on the basics and learn how to optimize it. Continue Reading
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Tip
01 Jun 2018
Enable rapid provisioning of VMs with SCVMM SAN copy
Achieve VM rapid provisioning with SCVMM by creating a SAN copy template from either an existing or new VM. Then select the required options when deploying the template to the host. Continue Reading
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Tip
30 May 2018
Zenoss ZenPacks plug-ins support hundreds of external resources
IT monitoring tools only monitor what they're built for. Zenoss fills in the inevitable gaps with ZenPacks to give admins exactly what they need -- without unnecessary extras. Continue Reading
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Answer
25 May 2018
What cloud compatibility issues can arise with VM migration?
Many compatibility issues can arise when moving VMs to the public cloud. Watch out for compatibility problems with partitions, OSes and image formats to ensure a smooth migration. Continue Reading
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Answer
25 May 2018
How do you use forklift migration to move VMs to the cloud?
To migrate a VM and its dependencies from a local data center to a public cloud, use the forklift method to prepare the VM for migration, deploy the right tools and import. Continue Reading
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Answer
24 May 2018
Which VM migration techniques prepare VMs for the cloud?
Prepare your VMs with cloud migration best practices that examine how suitable a VM is for migration, what groundwork needs to be prepared for it and the costs of migration. Continue Reading
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Answer
24 May 2018
How do you prepare for a VM migration in cloud computing?
Prepare for a VM migration by examining the requirements of your VMs and your cloud provider. Configure the VM for migration and match the settings to the cloud provider. Continue Reading
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Answer
18 May 2018
How do I convert VMDK to VHDX using PowerShell commands?
Download and install Microsoft Virtual Machine Converter to gain access to several PowerShell commands that enable VMware VMDK to Hyper-V VHDX conversions. Continue Reading
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News
18 May 2018
IT pros test out fresh crop of serverless monitoring tools
Serverless monitoring is still more of an art than a science, but tools that offer comprehensive insight into serverless infrastructure dependencies are in development. Continue Reading
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Tip
15 May 2018
Expedite Ansible KVM provisioning with automation
Creating KVM virtual machines with virsh and virt-install can be onerous. Use Ansible to automate deployment with templates and modules or to extend to functions like cloning. Continue Reading
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News
15 May 2018
Red Hat Virtualization 4.2 updates include UI and DR enhancements
The latest updates to Red Hat's virtualization platform enhance enterprise-grade features. But despite improvements, it's still not a VMware killer. Continue Reading
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News
11 May 2018
ServiceNow positions Now Platform as workflow engine
ServiceNow made a move to become a major player in the DevOps market by gearing up its Now Platform as a workflow engine that creates cloud-based applications quickly. Continue Reading
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Tip
11 May 2018
Manage KVM at scale with these best practices
KVM management is easy when VM density is low, but managing hundreds or thousands of VMs can present a challenge. Plan ahead, configure the right drivers and optimize for scale. Continue Reading
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News
10 May 2018
ServiceNow Virtual Agent looks to bolster AI strategy
ServiceNow's Virtual Agent technology is designed to automate routine IT tasks and free users and IT workers to focus on more important tasks. Continue Reading
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News
08 May 2018
APM strikes back in Kubernetes monitoring wars
New Relic and AppDynamics up the ante on Prometheus with dashboards that display Kubernetes time-series data, and monitoring alerts that sync with IT automation tools. Continue Reading
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Answer
30 Apr 2018
How do you reconnect a Hyper-V virtual switch to your VMs?
Save time by using PowerShell commands to reconnect your VMs to a new Hyper-V virtual switch. Different commands can access single VMs or many VMs whether they are local or remote. Continue Reading
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Feature
30 Apr 2018
Data center operations best practices checklist
Independent experts guide you to better data center operations with tips and advice on best practices and the right management tools. Continue Reading
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Tip
26 Apr 2018
Distributed tracing gives microservices monitoring more clarity
When you have users interacting with multiple services with each action, finding the cause of a problem becomes a difficult hunt. Distributed tracing helps highlight the issues. Continue Reading
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Answer
26 Apr 2018
How do you extract an ISO file before booting a VM?
Take advantage of PowerShell commands to clear ISO files from your VMs before booting and ensure their configuration is set to boot from the virtual hard drive, not the ISO. Continue Reading
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Guide
23 Apr 2018
Don't panic! The definitive guide to IT troubleshooting
IT problems can cause distress, chaos and, well, panic -- but they don't have to. These tips and tools guide admins through IT troubleshooting for the best chance of success. Continue Reading
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Opinion
19 Apr 2018
Bots know better: Maybe AIOps tools should drive your stack
As more IT tool vendors add AI capabilities, organizations are speeding up delivery and cutting waste, but a lack of integration and trust is holding back the intelligent stack. Continue Reading
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Tip
16 Apr 2018
Monitoring thresholds determine IT performance alerts
An IT monitoring strategy depends on the applications and systems it governs. Static and dynamic thresholds each have benefits and drawbacks, but it's possible to find a balance. Continue Reading
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Tip
13 Apr 2018
Enable resource metering in Hyper-V to collect usage data
Easily monitor resource utilization for your Hyper-V VMs by first enabling the resource metering feature and then collecting data with a few PowerShell commands. Continue Reading
- 12 Apr 2018
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Answer
05 Apr 2018
What types of VHD files does Hyper-V support?
Fixed VHD files, dynamic VHD files, and differential or differencing VHD files are all supported by Hyper-V. Learn more about these file types and the best use cases for each. Continue Reading
