Tips

Tips

• 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

• How to write your IT automation wish list

  IT automation is great, unless complicated, underperforming products that hog resources, time and money overwhelm IT staff.  Continue Reading

• Frequently asked questions about server automation tools

  Server automation tools save time and reduce errors. But what should tools offer, and are point systems or suites the way to go? Find out in this FAQ.  Continue Reading

• 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

• 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

• Optimal BIOS settings for server virtualization

  The ideal mix of performance and reliability starts with learning which server BIOS settings you should configure for a virtualized system.  Continue Reading

• 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

• Tips for improving Active Directory performance on servers

  Striking the right balance of memory and disk performance can help optimize Active Directory performance.  Continue Reading

• Avoiding access issues with Microsoft Network Access Protection

  Configuration problems can make Microsoft Network Access Protection overly zealous and lock out users who need data center access.  Continue Reading

• Tips for improving server reliability and available memory

  New memory modules and system capabilities can increase available memory and reliability on mission-critical servers.  Continue Reading

• 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

• 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

• Five questions on systems management

  As reliance on systems management tools increases, administrators face varied challenges in deployment, skill sets, infrastructure support and other issues.  Continue Reading

• 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

• The challenges of change and configuration management

  Due diligence, business alignment and proper deployment are key to mastering change and configuration management tools.  Continue Reading

• 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

• Application performance tips: Workload optimization and software pathing

  IT pros looking to maximize application performance should look beyond basic software, tuning to products from vendors pathing software and hardware.  Continue Reading

• 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

• 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

• Using Nagios plugins for configuration and system testing

  Using Nagios plugins can be vital in performing specific system tests and configuration. In this tip, you'll learn about using default and custom plugins in Nagios.  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

• Remote server monitoring with Nagios

  After the network monitoring tool Nagios is fully configured, learn the next step in setting it up for remote server monitoring.  Continue Reading

• Improve benchmark performance with simple optimizations

  While benchmarking is great for measuring system performance, benchmarking tools themselves are applications capable of overtaxing the CPU. However, simple optimizations can ensure benchmark performance by preventing these tools from overwhelming ...  Continue Reading

• Selecting benchmarking tools for specific needs

  Narrowing down the best benchmarking tool requires testing and a careful evaluation of needs, including system compatibility, level of technical depth and scalability.  Continue Reading

• Improve application performance with multithreaded applications

  Multi-core CPUs fuel a server's operating system performance and virtualization technologies. Can multithreaded applications and multi-core CPUs fuel application performance as well?  Continue Reading

• Architecting application failover in your data center

  Attempting application failover by re-coding your apps may not be the right choice for every data center, as several factors, including virtualization and coding languages, affect which method you should use. This tip offers advice for finding the ...  Continue Reading

• Host and guest virtual machine: Definitions

  We explain the two components of a virtual machine -- the host and the guest -- in this installment of virtualization explained series.  Continue Reading

• 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

• Top five keys to success for a new CMDB project

  Configuration management database (CMDB) projects require a steady hand and a lot of help from IT staff. Here are some tips to help you ensure CMDB success.  Continue Reading

• 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 ...  Continue Reading

• 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

• Automating server management and IT processes

  Server automation can free up data center resources to focus on higher-value activities. This tip provides some suggestions for getting started by automating low level IT processes.  Continue Reading