Ask the Experts

Ask the Experts

• How can host-based and array-based data replication techniques be compared?

  Learn the benefits and drawbacks to host-based and array-based replication methods to determine which one better suits your environment.  Continue Reading

• As a backup target, when is VTL better than NAS?

  Eric Slack of Storage Switzerland says that, as a backup target, a VTL might be a better choice than NAS.  Continue Reading

• Storage thin provisioning: Comparing implementation types

  Analyst Erick Slack explains how to create a thin volume, migrate from thick to thin provisioning and determine when to use thin provisioning.  Continue Reading

• Manufacturing NAND flash chips

  NAND flash chips are made in fabrication plants known as fabs. Market oversupply or undersupply can cause manufacturers to alter production plans.  Continue Reading

• Steps to read XML files with PowerShell

  Wondering how to get PowerShell to read XML files? Our expert explains a few methods you could use.  Continue Reading

• 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

• Issues with SELinux preventing virtual machine from accessing files

  Here's how to solve the problems when trying to access files via a virtual machine in SELinux.  Continue Reading

• Are blade servers obsolete?

  Blade servers maximize compute density on racks, but are their days numbered?  Continue Reading

• Solving SQL VSS writer problems during backup

  Backup expert Brien Posey explains how to solve common SQL VSS writer problems users can face during SQL database backups.  Continue Reading

• Is VMware Capacity Planner free?

  Many consultants offer VMware Capacity Planner free to interested virtualization admins, but if you dread their sales pitch, consider vBenchmark.  Continue Reading

• A well-developed software requirements specification is easy to test

  SearchSoftwareQuality expert Scott Sehlhorst discusses how to avoid writing a software requirements specification that is too vague to be tested.  Continue Reading

• Can shared storage be used with Hadoop architecture?

  Storage expert John Webster discusses three ways to use shared storage together with Hadoop architecture in this Ask the Expert answer.  Continue Reading

• How do I choose the right AWS instance for my cloud application?

  Expert Chris Moyer explains AWS instances and which types are right for your cloud application.  Continue Reading

• What's the difference between Amazon S3 and Amazon CloudFront?

  Storing large files in the cloud has its advantages, and Amazon S3 and Amazon CloudFront are two seemingly identical options. What's the difference?  Continue Reading

• Comparing SLC SSD with DRAM SSD when it comes to IOPS

  Find out how DRAM SSD and SLC SSD compare when it comes to IOPS and if you need a DRAM solution in this Expert Response from Marc Staimer.  Continue Reading

• How does the role of project manager change in the cloud?

  Agile and ALM expert Yvette Francino discusses how the role of project manager may change when applications are developed and tested in the cloud.  Continue Reading

• Persistent VDI vs. non-persistent VDI and their effect on storage resources

  Learn the difference between persistent VDI and non-persistent VDI, how they affect storage and which one carries advantages in terms of capacity and backup requirements.  Continue Reading

• When to perform post-production testing

  In some cases, testing post-production is needed, according to expert Pete Walen. He discusses the potential situations where post-production testing is helpful and what expectations we can have for performance testing.  Continue Reading

• How do I disable VPN passthrough? What are the pros and cons to disabling it?

  In this Ask the Expert response, Rainer Enders explains how to disable VPN passthrough and what the benefits and drawbacks are.  Continue Reading

• Integration testing: What are the challenges?

  Expert Pete Walen describes common problems with integration testing and offers insights into implementing it correctly, so that both internal and external users can benefit.  Continue Reading

• Exploring integration testing in the Agile development lifecycle

  Agile expert Lisa Crispin explores the various meanings and offers tips to testers on how to work integration testing into the Agile development lifecycle.  Continue Reading

• FM-200 systems: What data center managers need to know

  Get the lowdown on using FM-200 systems for data center fire suppression, and whether or not they're a good choice for your company.  Continue Reading

• Exploratory testing and regression testing in continuous integration

  Expert Lisa Crispin explains how and when to implement exploratory testing, automated regression testing and manual regression tests in an Agile development environment.  Continue Reading

• Why mssphtb.dll was disabled in Outlook 2010

  Exchange admins wonder why Microsoft disabled the mssphtb.dll utility in Outlook 2010. Our expert clears the air on this misunderstood search component.  Continue Reading

• Understanding the dependencies between requirements in a Scrum environment

  Prioritizing user stories for each iteration in a Scrum environment can be challenging if the project owner does not understand the dependencies between requirements. In this expert response, Lisa Crispin shares best practices for prioritizing user ...  Continue Reading

• How user stories help to define software requirements

  User stories play an important role when defining requirements and they also contribute to living documentation during the software development process. In this expert response, Lisa Crispin offers key practices for ensuring that requirements align ...  Continue Reading

• Mapping software requirements to test cases

  Even though you must have at least one test case per requirement, it's possible not to have a one-to-one mapping between each requirement and test case. In this response, expert Sue Burk explains how it is important to trace the relationship between...  Continue Reading

• Tracking changes to requirements in Agile development

  All development teams need to track requirements changes, but depending on the software development lifecycle and overall ALM process, the best approach to change tracking may not be the same across the board. In this response, expert Mike Jones ...  Continue Reading

• How to gain acceptance of organizational change

  Any organizational change can meet with internal resistance. In this response, SSQ Site Editor Yvette Francino offers advice on how to win buy-in from those affected through honest communication and continuous improvement.  Continue Reading

• Application development for mobile phones: Testing across different devices

  New mobile phone models enter the market all the time, and it seems daunting to perform application testing on the various devices available. Expert Karen Johnson carefully examines the factors developers must consider and offers strategies on how ...  Continue Reading

• Functional requirements and nonfunctional requirements in software engineering explained

  Clearly defining both functional and nonfunctional requirements in software engineering projects is important from both a business perspective and a performance perspective. In this expert response, Sue Burk offers definitions and examples for both ...  Continue Reading

• Software retest, regression, smoke and sanity testing: What's the difference?

  Understanding the nuances between different types of test efforts can be a challenge. In this expert response, Karen Johnson explains what is meant by retesting, regression testing, smoke testing and sanity testing. Find out the purpose of these ...  Continue Reading

• Differences in Agile and traditional software project management

  In this expert response, some of the differences between project management in traditional environments and agile environments are explained. One of the biggest differences is the flexibility of scope changes that is welcomed in agile environments.  Continue Reading

• What does "change management" mean in software development and QA?

  Change management, sometimes called configuration management, has a few different meanings in the software development community, from team changes to code changes, explains expert Yvette Francino.  Continue Reading

• Are LTO-4 tapes compatible with other versions of LTO tape technology?

  Dave Ellis explains what LTO-4 is and its compatibility with other versions of LTO in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• Scrum Master or Scrum project management, is there a difference?

  A Scrum Master is commonly mistaken for a project manager who works in a Scrum environment. Learn what distinguishes a Scrum Master in this expert response.  Continue Reading

• Defining the relationship between Outlook, AD and Exchange Server

  Find out how Outlook, AD and Exchange are connected and the roles each play for users.  Continue Reading

• Who determines the appropriate severity or priority for a defect?

  There are often differences of opinion on the definition of severity or priority of a defect. The bottom line is determining when and if the defect will be fixed. Factors that need to be considered are customer urgency and time required to fix and ...  Continue Reading

• What are the pros and cons of centralizing a QA or software test team?

  Is it better to centralize a test team or have testers paired organizationally with developers? There can be advantages to either approach. This expert response examines some considerations and an alternative that will allow your quality team to ...  Continue Reading

• Problems caused by skipping analysis stage of SDLC

  A requirements expert explains the possible pitfalls of skipping the analysis phase in the software life cycle development (SDLC).  Continue Reading

• How to deliver software with an SDLC iterative model

  The phases of iterative SDLCs come together to build better software applications faster, as long as the team avoids some common development and planning mistakes.  Continue Reading

• Microsoft Outlook error message: 'Mailbox Size Limit exceeded'

  An Exchange administrator keeps receiving an error message stating 'Mailbox Size Limit exceeded.' See what to check before taking action.  Continue Reading

• Is BASE a more scalable alternative to ACID transactions?

  ACID is used to summarize the basic properties of a transaction in the database sense of the word, not the logical "business" transaction sense. On the other hand BASE is used to summarize the properties many large scale Web sites follow to relax or...  Continue Reading

• Differentiating between Functional and Nonfunctional Requirements

  Many of the difficulties encountered in defining requirements relate to the functional-nonfunctional distinction. As so often happens, some of those difficulties are things of which people are aware, largely realizing after-the-fact that ...  Continue Reading

• Sending poll questions through Exchange to non-Outlook users

  Learn if you can send out polling questions through Exchange Server to recipients who don't use Microsoft Outlook.  Continue Reading

• What is test granularity?

  Test granularity is the level of detail at which your software tests and test cases address your project.  Continue Reading

• VLANs versus IP subnets: Why use a VLAN over IP subnetting?

  A virtual local area network (VLAN) is better than IP subnetting because its advantage is security. Learn what a VLAN is and how it differs from creating IP subnets, in this expert response from our networking fundamentals expert.  Continue Reading

• Difference between circuit-switching and packet-switching in examples

  What is the difference between a circuit switching and packet switching? Our networking fundamentals expert gives examples of packet switching and circuit switching in this response.  Continue Reading

• Template for requirements use cases

  A user is looking for a template for writing requirements use cases. Robin Goldsmith walks through a few interpretations of this question.  Continue Reading

• Formulating test status reports based on daily status criteria

  A user requests help deriving the daily status criteria for the test execution of a software project, with status criteria including test execution criteria, test case failure rate and bug rate.  Continue Reading

• Is a requirements freeze in a software project a bad idea?

  Learn why imposing a requirements freeze in an application project is usually a misguided idea.  Continue Reading

• Integration testing: Is it black box or white box testing?

  Integration testing of software systems can be black box or white box testing. Learn how each can be used in this Ask the Expert Q&A with testing expert Mike Kelly.  Continue Reading

• 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

• Use cases and SRS for requirements gathering

  Before comparing use cases and software requirements specifications, you should know what each is. Requirements expert Robin Goldsmith explains how use cases and SRS work and how to use them for requirements engineering.  Continue Reading

• How to match the test environment to the production environment

  Testers often find a gulf between test results in a test environment and test results in a production environment. Testing expert John Overbaugh offers strategies for ensuring that test results in different environments match.  Continue Reading

• Running UAT and system testing in parallel

  Conducting user acceptance testing and system testing at the same time may or may not be a good choice. Expert Baher Malek discusses the factors that testers need to consider when attempting a parallel UAT process.  Continue Reading

• Why can't I grant users permissions to an Exchange public folder?

  Exchange Server public folder permissions can be complex. Get troubleshooting advice on delegating permissions to Exchange Server public folders here.  Continue Reading

• How to estimate change requests in requirements

  Software requirements are often subject to change; using a sound estimation process helps greatly to manage change. Requirements expert Betty Luedke explains, in detail, how to implement good estimation techniques.  Continue Reading

• Use cases: Who writes them, what data do you include?

  Typically a business analyst writes the use cases for a software project. But who writes them doesn't matter as much as what is included in them, says expert Robin Goldsmith.  Continue Reading

• The scope of user acceptance testing

  User acceptance testing is ineffective if testers don't allocate the proper time and resources. Expert Karen N. Johnson explains how to avoid shortchanging UAT.  Continue Reading

• Prioritizing software testing on little time

  Too many test cases and too little time? Expert Scott Barber explains how to prioritize testing.  Continue Reading

• Requirements gathering for payroll application

  Engineering requirements for a payroll or similar application demands careful consideration. Expert Rob Apmann explains how to approach this complicated task.  Continue Reading

• Usability testing vs. user acceptance testing

  Usability testing and user acceptance testing may sound similar, but these tests have different focuses and are executed at different times in the SDLC. Expert Karen N. Johnson explains how these tests work.  Continue Reading

• Troubleshoot Outlook Web Access (OWA) login error: 'Access denied'

  Learn how to troubleshoot Outlook Web Access (OWA) login errors that prevent OWA users from accessing their email.  Continue Reading

• Set Outlook calendar permissions for group to view private meetings

  Learn how to grant Microsoft Outlook calendar permissions, including access to private Microsoft Outlook calendar meetings, to a select group of users.  Continue Reading

• Get Outlook meeting requests to show as 'tentative'

  Find out how to set up Microsoft Outlook so that meeting requests will show up on attendees' calendars as tentative until they respond to the meeting request.  Continue Reading

• How to create a testing scorecard

  A software testing scorecard can be a good tool for managing a team's progress. Expert John Overbaugh explains how to create a testing scorecard and that fits yours and the customer's needs.  Continue Reading

• How to calculate available disk space on a RAID 5

  Storage management expert Ashley D'Costa answers a reader's question: "How do I calculate the disk space available on my RAID 5?"  Continue Reading

• Free load and performance testing tools

  What is a good choice for a free load testing tool? Expert Dan Cornell offers his advice and explains how to get started with your testing tool.  Continue Reading

• Data center cooling and humidity control: CRAC or AHU?

  Data center physical environment expert Robert McFarlane discusses the best temperature and humidity control choices for a reader's data center.  Continue Reading

• OWA users can't open PDF attachments in Web browser

  Some Outlook Web Access users can't open PDF attachments in the Web browser, but they can save them. Find out how to enable users to view PDF attachments.  Continue Reading

• How to structure a software requirements document

  Effective requirements documentation is essential for any good software project. Expert Karl E. Wiegers explains how to structure your software requirements documents.  Continue Reading

• How to retrieve email from an SMTP server using POP3

  Follow these steps to retrieve email from an SMTP server using POP3 in Microsoft Outlook 2003.  Continue Reading

• Test plan and test strategy

  Software testing is helped by a good test plans, strategies and logistics. Expert Scott Barber explains what these aspects of the testing methodology are.  Continue Reading

• Software requirements specification and IEEE standards

  What does the IEEE outline for requirements specifications, and how strictly should you abide by that standard? Expert Karl E. Wiegers digs into the details of an SRS.  Continue Reading

• Alert vs. log in the Snort /var/log/snort directory

  A Linux security expert explains that the difference between the Snort alert and log logs in the Snort /var/log/snort directory is based on how rules are written.  Continue Reading

• Not receiving email messages that have file attachments

  Discover options to explore if you're not receiving email messages that have file attachments and the sender isn't receiving non-delivery reports (NDRs) for the undelivered messages.  Continue Reading

• RAID 4 vs. RAID 5

  Storage management expert Ashley D'Costa discusses RAID 4 vs. RAID 5.  Continue Reading

• New Active Directory account not showing up in Exchange Global Address List

  If you can't find names in an Exchange Server Global Address List after entering them as new accounts in Active Directory, here's what you need to check.  Continue Reading

• How to recover email in a specific date range from a .PST file

  Get step-by-step instructions on how to recover email that falls within a specific data range from a Microsoft Outlook 2003 .PST file.  Continue Reading

• RAID-5 configuration

  Storage management expert Ashley D'Costa answers a reader's question about RAID-5.  Continue Reading

• Rewarding team members for outstanding work

  Recognizing or rewarding team members for jobs well done helps build morale. Your sincere appreciation can go a long way, says project management expert David Christiansen.  Continue Reading

• What equipment do I use to connect two LANs in different cities? What are the steps?

  How do you connect two LANS from different cities? VPN expert Sampath Ramaswami notes the steps to be taken, in this Q&A.  Continue Reading

• What is unstructured data and how is it different from structured data in the enterprise?

  Expert Pierre Dorion talks about unstructured data and its impact on the data enterprise.  Continue Reading

• MySQL full outer join workaround

  A MySQL expert offers a workaround for the lack of syntax support for full outer joins.  Continue Reading

• 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

• Cannot reply or forward in Outlook Web Access

  If you can't reply or forward in Outlook Web Access (OWA), you may need to add your Exchange Server URL to Internet Explorer's Trusted Sites list.  Continue Reading

• Hard zoning vs. soft zoning

  SAN expert Greg Schulz explains the difference between hard and soft zoning.  Continue Reading

• Half duplex vs. full duplex Ethernet 10BASE-T topologies

  Ever wonder why half duplex Ethernet 10BASE-T topologies have a slower data transmission rate than full duplex Ethernet 10BASE-Ttopologies? Find out in this expert response by Lindi Horton.  Continue Reading

• What are the fundamental principles of CDMA?

  In this Q&A, our expert, Lindi Horton gives us an explanation of what CDMA is and what some of its fundamental principles are.  Continue Reading

• NFPA 75: Raised floor fire protection

  Utilizing separate suppression 'zones' for both above floor and sub-floor spaces is a common practice in areas where the subfloor contains a significant hazard/fuel load.  Continue Reading

• How to create a secure login page using ASP.NET

  A secure ASP.NET login page is easier to create than one might assume. Expert Dan Cornell explains how to use authentication and authorization to ensure your login page is safe.  Continue Reading

• Why do we need the MAC address if all Ethernet connections are done via IP address?

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• The pros and cons of IPsec

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• What is difference between a WINS server and a DNS server?

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• How do I open port 177 on my router so that other clients can get a GUI display of my server remotel

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• How do I set up two or more wireless adapters on the same computer to work together?

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• What is a collision domain? How does replacing a hub with a switch affect collision?

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• Since DNS uses UDP instead of TCP, if a packet is lost, there is no automatic recovery?

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• Data center raised floors and ceiling height

  In this question, Bob McFarlane explains the benefits and drawbacks to different data center designs pertaining to cooling and airflow.  Continue Reading