Get started
Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content.
Get started
Bring yourself up to speed with our introductory content.
full-duplex
Full-duplex data transmission means that data can be transmitted in both directions on a signal carrier at the same time. Continue Reading
MRAM (magnetoresistive random access memory)
MRAM (magnetoresistive random access memory) is a method of storing data bits using magnetic states instead of the electrical charges used by devices such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM). Continue Reading
An introduction to TDD benefits, risks and examples
Programmers, looking to implement -- or improve -- your team's TDD practices? Review the fundamentals and examples below to remember how TDD can be a benefit and not a burden. Continue Reading
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storage volume
A storage volume is an identifiable unit of data storage. It can be a removable hard disk, but it does not have to be a unit that can be physically removed from a computer or storage system. Continue Reading
Variable Length Subnet Mask (VLSM)
Variable Length Subnet Mask (VLSM) is a subnet -- a segmented piece of a larger network -- design strategy where all subnet masks can have varying sizes. Continue Reading
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Definitions to Get Started
- What is an API (application programming interface)?
- What is a SAN? Ultimate storage area network guide
- What is a data retention policy?
- What is multi-access edge computing? Benefits and use cases
- What is 5G?
- What is 6G? Overview of 6G networks & technology
- phase-locked loop (PLL)
- What is millimeter wave (mmWave)?
storage capacity planning
Storage capacity planning is the practice of assessing current data storage needs and forecasting future storage requirements.Continue Reading
non-volatile storage (NVS)
Non-volatile storage (NVS) is a broad collection of technologies and devices that do not require a continuous power supply to retain data or program code persistently on a short- or long-term basis.Continue Reading
Seebeck effect
The Seebeck effect is a phenomenon in which a temperature difference between two dissimilar electrical conductors or semiconductors produces a voltage difference between the two substances.Continue Reading
dynamic multipoint VPN (DMVPN)
A dynamic multipoint virtual private network (DMVPN) is a secure network that exchanges data between sites/routers without passing traffic through an organization's virtual private network (VPN) server or router located at its headquarters.Continue Reading
What is foo (in software programming)?
Foo (pronounced FOO) is a term used by programmers as a placeholder for a value that can change depending on conditions or on information passed to the program.Continue Reading
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3 VMware disk types you should know: Raw, thick and thin
Raw, thick and thin disks offer portability and file storage efficiency. But each type has its pros and cons, including slower write speeds, less security and increased capacity.Continue Reading
What is open API (public API)?
Review this definition to learn about open APIs, also known as a public APIs, including their associated benefits, industry use cases and unique attributes.Continue Reading
CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance)
CSMA/CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access/Collision Avoidance) is a protocol for carrier transmission in 802.11 networks.Continue Reading
Learn to work with the Microsoft Graph Security API
The API assists organizations that want to connect their security systems with a programmatic way to produce quicker results when performing investigations.Continue Reading
virtual network adapter
A virtual network adapter is software that operates like a physical network adapter within the host operating system (OS) or through an application installed on the endpoint or server.Continue Reading
network analyzer (protocol analyzer or packet analyzer)
A network analyzer -- also called a network protocol analyzer or packet analyzer -- is a software application, dedicated appliance or feature set within a network component used in network performance troubleshooting or to enhance protection against...Continue Reading
What is Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)?
An enterprise service bus (ESB) is a software platform used to distribute work among connected components of an application.Continue Reading
Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS)
Amazon Simple Queue Service (SQS) is a managed message queuing service technical professionals and developers use to send, store and retrieve multiple messages of various sizes asynchronously.Continue Reading
COBOL (Common Business Oriented Language)
COBOL (Common Business-Oriented Language) is a high-level programming language for business applications. It was the first popular language designed to be operating system-agnostic and is still in use in many financial and business applications ...Continue Reading
What is a virtual hard drive?
A virtual hard drive file is a container file that acts similar to a physical hard drive.Continue Reading
virtual private server (VPS) or virtual dedicated server (VDS)
A virtual private server (VPS), also called a virtual dedicated server (VDS), is a virtual server that appears to the user as a dedicated server, but that is actually installed on a computer serving multiple websites.Continue Reading
Amazon Braket
Amazon Braket is a fully managed AWS cloud service designed to allow users remote access to a single development environment for quantum computers.Continue Reading
Amazon VPC traffic mirroring
Traffic mirroring is a feature for Amazon Virtual Private Cloud (Amazon VPC). The feature is used to monitor the network-level traffic of workloads.Continue Reading
Agile retrospective
An Agile retrospective is a meeting that's held at the end of an iteration in Agile software development.Continue Reading
Linux operating system
Linux is a Unix-like, open source and community-developed operating system (OS) for computers, servers, mainframes, mobile devices and embedded devices.Continue Reading
dependency hell
Dependency hell is a negative situation that occurs when a software application is not able to access the additional programming it requires to work.Continue Reading
Boot2Docker
Boot2Docker is a minimalist Linux distribution with the sole purpose to run Docker containers. It was depreciated and is no longer recommended for use.Continue Reading
computer hardware
Computer hardware is a collective term used to describe any of the physical components of an analog or digital computer.Continue Reading
What is DevOps 2.0?
DevOps 2.0 is the extension of DevOps practices through the entire organization, beyond development and IT ops.Continue Reading
Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP)
Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) is an extension of the Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP) used by an internet service provider (ISP) to enable the operation of a virtual private network (VPN) over the internet.Continue Reading
Why QLC flash adoption now benefits the enterprise
While enterprises must overcome some obstacles with QLC, there is a solid case for its use. 3D NAND has played a big part in enabling QLC use within the enterprise.Continue Reading
cache
A cache -- pronounced CASH -- is hardware or software that is used to store something, usually data, temporarily in a computing environment.Continue Reading
Remote access vs. site-to-site VPN: What's the difference?
A remote access VPN connects remote users from any location to a corporate network. A site-to-site VPN, meanwhile, connects individual networks to each other.Continue Reading
Class of Service (CoS)
Class of Service (CoS) is a way of managing traffic in a network by grouping similar types of traffic -- such as email, streaming video, voice over IP and large document file transfer -- together and treating each type as a class with its own level ...Continue Reading
branching
Branching is the practice of creating copies of programs or objects in development to work in parallel versions, retaining the original and working on the branch or making different changes to each.Continue Reading
What is Application Performance Index (Apdex)?
Application Performance Index, also known as Apdex, is an open standard intended to simplify reports of application performance.Continue Reading
10BASE-T
10BASE-T is an Ethernet standard for local area networks and one of several physical media specified in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.3 standard.Continue Reading
frequency-shift keying (FSK)
Frequency-shift keying (FSK) is a method of transmitting digital signals using discrete signals.Continue Reading
subcarrier
A subcarrier is a secondary modulated signal frequency modulated into the main frequency (the carrier) to provide an additional channel of transmission.Continue Reading
How to create EC2 custom metrics with Amazon CloudWatch
Amazon CloudWatch provides useful monitoring information with its built-in capabilities, but for additional data, it might be time to consider custom metrics.Continue Reading
internet metering
Internet metering is a service model in which an internet service provider (ISP) keeps track of bandwidth use and charges users accordingly.Continue Reading
Learn the basics of virtual server security software selection
There are multiple factors in choosing the right security software for VMs and virtual infrastructure. Get familiar with potential threats, features to have and market offerings.Continue Reading
What is Amazon Elastic Container Registry (Amazon ECR)?
Amazon Elastic Container Registry (Amazon ECR) is an Amazon Web Service (AWS) product that stores, manages and deploys Docker images, which are managed clusters of Amazon EC2 instances.Continue Reading
yottabyte (YB)
A yottabyte (YB) is a measure of theoretical storage capacity and data volumes equal to 2 to the 80th power bytes, or approximately a million trillion megabytes (MB).Continue Reading
Get to know the new Exchange admin center features
After a lengthy development process, Microsoft unveiled its new admin portal for Exchange Online for a more consistent look with other management areas in Office 365.Continue Reading
bottleneck
A bottleneck, in a communications context, is a point in the enterprise where the flow of data is impaired or stopped entirely.Continue Reading
CDN vs. cloud computing: What's the difference?
Content delivery networks and cloud computing architectures may appear to serve the same function. But each has a specific role to play when distributing content.Continue Reading
8 fundamental microservices security best practices
Despite the benefits, microservices will introduce profound security issues. We review the biggest microservices security challenges and eight strategies used to combat them.Continue Reading
Considerations for sustainable data center design
To design a green, sustainable data center, consider methods to improve energy conservation and efficiency. Then, look into green -- or greener -- energy source alternatives.Continue Reading
tiered storage
Tiered storage is a method for assigning different categories of data to various types of storage media to reduce overall storage costs and improve the performance and availability of mission-critical applications.Continue Reading
optical storage
Optical storage is any storage type in which data is written and read with a laser.Continue Reading
circuit switching
Circuit switching is a type of network configuration in which a physical path is obtained and dedicated to a single connection between two endpoints in the network for the duration of a dedicated connection.Continue Reading
frame relay
Frame relay is a packet-switching telecommunications service designed for cost-efficient data transmission for intermittent traffic between local area networks (LANs) and between endpoints in wide area networks (WANs).Continue Reading
Ways to speed up white box networking adoption
Most organizations are slow to deploy new techniques, white box networking included. Experts explain why and offer advice on how to speed up adoption across enterprises.Continue Reading
100 Gigabit Ethernet (100 GbE)
100 Gigabit Ethernet (100 GbE) is an Ethernet standard that supports data speeds of up to 100 billion bits (gigabits) per second (Gbps).Continue Reading
Next Hop Resolution Protocol (NHRP)
Next Hop Resolution Protocol (NHRP) is an automated configuration technology that routes data on a distributed network by discovering the best routing path between endpoints.Continue Reading
What is an edge router?
An edge router is a specialized router located at a network boundary that enables an internal network to connect to external networks.Continue Reading
Working with the Microsoft Defender for Identity portal
The security product, formerly Azure Advanced Threat Protection, taps into the cloud to uncover suspicious activity across the on-premises network.Continue Reading
How to assign Microsoft Teams policies with PowerShell
The admin center lags behind PowerShell when it comes to Microsoft Teams policy management due to the automation tool's superior logging and visibility features.Continue Reading
JBOD (just a bunch of disks)
JBOD, which stands for 'just a bunch of disks,' is a type of multilevel configuration for disks.Continue Reading
runbook
Runbooks are a set of standardized written procedures for completing repetitive IT processes within a company.Continue Reading
Joint Academic Network (JANET)
The Joint Academic Network (JANET) is an internal, high-speed computer network that links the U.K. education and research community.Continue Reading
visitor-based networking (visitor-based network)
Visitor-based networking (VBN) is a computer network with high-speed internet access provided by an organization for temporary use by visitors, guests or other users in a public area.Continue Reading
Follow 6 key steps to deploy microservices in production
To succeed with microservices, IT organizations need to rethink the way they design and deploy applications -- and not all the necessary changes are technical ones.Continue Reading
Why and how to use eBPF for Kubernetes scaling
Scaling Kubernetes clusters has always been a challenge -- but eBPF makes the process smoother with service-specific monitors and a lack of special instrumentation.Continue Reading
How businesses can manage Microsoft 365 storage space
While Microsoft 365 users face storage limits across the platform, there are ways to increase capacity. It's also important to understand the limits in the first place.Continue Reading
refactoring
Refactoring is the process of restructuring code, while not changing its original functionality.Continue Reading
Working with Docker Compose? Use environmental variables
Docker Compose streamlines container application deployments. Dig into the tool and see how the use of environment variables can hone the process further.Continue Reading
Service Profile Identifier (SPID)
In telecommunications, a Service Profile Identifier (SPID) is a number assigned by a phone company to a terminal on an Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) B-channel.Continue Reading
deep packet inspection (DPI)
Deep packet inspection (DPI) is an advanced method of examining and managing network traffic.Continue Reading
The role of smartNICs in modern enterprise networks
This chapter excerpt from 'Building a Future-Proof Cloud Infrastructure' looks at how smartNICs can support distributed services platforms for both cloud providers and enterprises.Continue Reading
How smartNIC architecture supports scalable infrastructure
In this Q&A, author Silvano Gai discusses how smartNICs can benefit enterprises by providing more granular telemetry and supporting distributed cloud infrastructure.Continue Reading
How to use Google Cloud Operations suite
Follow along to set up Google Cloud Operations' Monitoring and Logging services, try Google's Monitoring Query Language and automate dashboard creation with the API.Continue Reading
GVRP (GARP VLAN Registration Protocol or Generic VLAN Registration Protocol)
GVRP (GARP VLAN Registration Protocol or Generic VLAN Registration Protocol) is a standards-based protocol that facilitates control of virtual local area networks (VLANs) within a larger network.Continue Reading
Blockchain: An immutable ledger to replace the database
Blockchains create a secure encryption beneficial to many businesses. This article offers use cases, benefits and limitations of the electronic database.Continue Reading
Gigabit Ethernet (GbE)
Gigabit Ethernet (GbE), a transmission technology based on the Ethernet frame format and protocol used in local area networks (LANs), provides a data rate of 1 billion bits per second, or 1 gigabit (Gb).Continue Reading
bare-metal restore
A bare-metal restore (also referred to as bare-metal recovery or bare-metal backup) is a data recovery and restoration process where a computer is restored to a new machine, typically after a catastrophic failure.Continue Reading
7 major server hardware components you should know
Even with software-based data center options, it's still important to know the physical components of a server. Check out these terms to refresh your memory.Continue Reading
serial digital interface (SDI)
Serial digital interface (SDI) is a standard for digital video and audio transmission over coaxial or fiber optic cabling.Continue Reading
trunk (trunking)
A network trunk is a communications line or link designed to carry multiple signals simultaneously to provide network access between two points.Continue Reading
An eBPF tutorial to try out the bpftrace framework
You know what eBPF is, but can you run it? This article offers a brief tutorial to demonstrate the bpftrace framework and how to install a simple eBPF program.Continue Reading
Learn the difference between SMP vs. MPP
Learn the differences between the main modes of multiprocessing: SMP, AMP and MPP. Each has a distinct use case that makes it suited for different data centers and organizations.Continue Reading
Get started on Azure with this developers guide for beginners
Developers using Microsoft Azure have a wide array of cloud services to choose from. Use this guide to understand basic tools and deployment approaches to get started on the platform.Continue Reading
Amazon SageMaker
Amazon SageMaker is a managed service in the Amazon Web Services (AWS) public cloud.Continue Reading
GUID (global unique identifier)
A GUID (globally unique identifier) is a 128-bit text string that represents an identification (ID).Continue Reading
Step-by-step guide on how to create an IAM user in AWS
Learn how to make an AWS IAM user and assign an access policy to the user with a few commands. This detailed tutorial includes screenshots to guide you through the steps.Continue Reading
autonomous system (AS)
An autonomous system (AS) in networking is a collection of one or more associated Internet Protocol (IP) prefixes with a clearly defined routing policy that governs how the AS exchanges routing information with other autonomous systems.Continue Reading
customer proprietary network information (CPNI)
Customer proprietary network information (CPNI) in the United States is information that telecommunications services -- such as local, long-distance and wireless telephone companies -- acquire about their subscribers.Continue Reading
dynamic port numbers
Dynamic port numbers, also known as private port numbers, are the port numbers that are available for use by any application to use in communicating with any other application, using the internet's Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) or User ...Continue Reading
Amazon EMR (Elastic MapReduce)
Amazon EMR (previously known as Amazon Elastic MapReduce) is an Amazon Web Services (AWS) tool for big data processing and analysis.Continue Reading
CompTIA Cloud+ tips to troubleshoot cloud networks
The CompTIA Cloud+ exam covers a range of topics, including how to secure and troubleshoot cloud networks. Some of the first steps: Start simple, and isolate the problem.Continue Reading
storage class memory (SCM)
Storage class memory (SCM) is a type of physical computer memory that combines dynamic random access memory (DRAM), NAND flash memory and a power source for data persistence.Continue Reading
stateful inspection
Stateful inspection, also known as dynamic packet filtering, is a firewall technology that monitors the state of active connections and uses this information to determine which network packets to allow through the firewall.Continue Reading
Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP)
Real-time Transport Protocol (RTP) is a network standard designed for transmitting audio or video data that is optimized for consistent delivery of live data.Continue Reading
The functional programming paradigm at enterprise scale
Many enterprise-level architects rely on an object-oriented approach, but there are good reasons and practical ways to introduce functional programming within large-scale systems.Continue Reading
NACK (NAK, negative acknowledgment, not acknowledged)
NACK, or NAK, an abbreviation for negative acknowledgment or not acknowledged, is a signal used by computers or other devices to indicate that data transmitted over a network was received with errors or was otherwise unreadable.Continue Reading
Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC)
Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC) is a transmission protocol used to synchronously transfer code-transparent, serial-by-bit data over a communications channel.Continue Reading
5 considerations for proper mainframe decommissioning
As organizations decide to retire mainframe systems, IT pros should develop a plan that addresses application migration, program replatforming, data security and hardware removal.Continue Reading
What is server sprawl and how to prevent it?
Server sprawl is when multiple underutilized servers take up more space and consume more resources than can be justified by their workload.Continue Reading
Explore virtualization study topics for CCNP, CCIE exams
Aspiring CCNPs and CCIEs will need to grasp one of networking's most important topics: virtualization. 'Day 7' from Patrick Gargano's '31 Days' explains the subject in detail.Continue Reading